Blind
by secrethalfblood
Summary: Thea, the trouble making daughter of Hermes has always liked Adam, the latest child of Zeus. He's not sure how he feels about her especially b/c his girlfriend hates her and he knows that spending time with her might not be in his best interest. Still, he seemed to like it when she was around. Not once did he think how he'd feel if she wasn't, this summer however, that changes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series or the Heroes of Olympus series. All credit to Rick Riordan.

...

Three things you should know about me.

One. I collect locks.

Two. I like heights.

Three. Yes, it's probably my fault.

Oh, and my name is Thea.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" My best friend Tess asked nervously looking over her shoulder back down the hallway of the Big House. "What if we get caught?"

She was a short, cute girl with curly light brown hair which she pushed out of her anxious brown eyes.

"Relax." I said with a smile and pulling my kit out of my bag. "Do I ever get caught?"

She raised an eyebrow, apparently not enjoying herself as much as I was.

"Yes." She said fatly.

"Ok but I don't normally get caught." I pointed out.

"True." She admitted with a sigh.

"So stop worrying." I said with another grin. "Chiron's teaching by the climbing wall, he's miles away."

She didn't look convinced. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced over her shoulder again as I bent down and studied the lock on the office door.

"Besides." I said unzipping the black case and selecting a hook pick along with a tension wrench. "This might be our only chance. Don't you want to get our stuff back?"

"Yeah." She said as I inserted the tools and started to pick the lock. "But do we really need to steal them? We'll get them back."

"Yeah, after capture the flag." I said frowning. "Or are you telling me you don't want your tools while you're prepping for the game?"

She didn't answer but she didn't have to. I knew what her answer would have been. Tess was a member of cabin nine, a daughter of Hephaestus, and her father had given her a box of enchanted tools which was her most prized possession.

Chiron had confiscated them along the necklace my father had given me for my fifteenth birthday as punishment when he'd caught us rigging ink bombs in the armory to the Ares kid's weapons. In our defense, they deserved it, but he didn't seem to quite agree. Apparently they could kidnap the new campers, throw them into the lake in the middle of the night and get off a warning, but when I try to dispense some well warranted, inky justice, I was "crossing the line" and "starting a war between two of the biggest cabins in camp." Ridiculous.

Luckily for us, Chiron hadn't confiscated my lock picking set and I smirked as there was a satisfying 'click' and I pushed the door opened.

Granted, part of the problem might have been I was always messing with the Ares cabin, but ninety percent of the time they probably deserved it. Maybe seventy. Definitely at least sixty-five.

Then again I was always in trouble in camp, at this point it was unavoidable. I couldn't help but break rules, it was in my nature. Literally. Being the daughter of Hermes I was born to break into places and steal stuff. It was in my DNA.

"We're in." I said brightly.

"Yeah, don't broadcast it." she said sounding annoyed. "Just hurry up and find our stuff so we can get out of here."

"Alright, alright." I said rolling my eyes and getting to my feet. "Keep a look out."

I looked around the office grinning slightly. I'd been yelled at so many times I'd practically memorized the messy desk and the pictures lining the walls. I wasn't up there, not that I'd really ever expected to be, but I'd always enjoyed looking at the story board of the past campers, some of them the latest legends in demigod history. All the greats were here, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McClean, Thalia and Jason Grace (even if he was technically from Camp Jupiter). My eyes drifted over the pictures and landed on him, of course. Tall, extremely attractive, with neat black hair and deep blue eyes that looked as if they'd seen too much.

"What are you doing?" Tess hissed and I blinked then looked around the room having been brought back to reality.

"Nothing." I said shaking my head but I saw her eyes land on the photograph and she let out an irritated noise.

"Yeah ok." She said sarcastically as I ducked under Chiron's desk to where I knew his safe for confiscated items was located.

Knowing this lock would be much harder to crack, I quickly selected the tools I'd need and got to work as Tess tapped her foot anxiously and glanced continuously into the hall.

Just then, we heard a door slam shut and pair of footsteps.

"That was the front door." Tess said quietly. "We should get out of here."

I ignored her and continued working as the footsteps got louder.

"Thea…" she warned. "They're heading this way."

The lock opened and I quickly started shifting through the contents.

"Oh this is cool." I said pausing to look at a multi tool that looked as if it were capable of transforming into multiple weapons.

"Thea!" Tess hissed. "Focus!"

"Right. Sorry." I said pocketing the multi tool and continuing to shift through the stuff.

I could practically feel the fear coming off Tess in waves. I was almost certain she would bolt and I wouldn't blame her if she did. We were already being punished and if someone caught us rooting around in Chiron's office, well that wouldn't end well. She wasn't as comfortable with mischief making as I was.

"Got 'em." I said locating the battered metal box and the fine metal chain that had wrapped around it's handle.

Some people might not have understood why I would be so desperate to steal back a piece of jewelry, but my necklace wasn't just a trinket. It was made of pure celestial bronze and had the ability to transform into a perfectly balanced sword. It was my favorite weapon, and I was not going into those woods on Friday without it.

"Then let's go." She said motioning for me to get a move on.

I grabbed our things, closed the safe, and sprinted to the door closing it silently behind me as a voice called.

"Chiron?"

"Crap!" Tess whispered her eyes going wide.

I recognized the voice too. It was Aspen, one of the Satyrs who escorted new demigods, and he was about to turn into the hall.

"Thea, if he finds us here we're dead!"

"Come on." I said grabbing her hand and running towards the window at the end of it.

"It's a dead end what are you-" but her eyes went even wider. "Are you insane?"

"It's possible." I said with a grin and pushing it open. "C'mon Fixit."

"Don't call me that." She muttered and crawled out it after me.

"I mean seriously." She said dropping down to the ground and looking up at me as I jumped from the sill and caught the drain pipe. "My cabin isn't the only thing that defines me you know. I do more than just fix things."

"But you DO fix things." I pointed out starting to climb up the drain pipe.

"Yeah, but I do other things too. How would you feel if I called you klepto all the time?"

"I am a klepto." I said with a laugh.

"Yes but I don't CALL you that." She said indignantly. "What the Hades are you doing?"

"Climbing." I said looking over my shoulder and down at her.

"Yes I can see that." She said putting her hand over her eyes to block out the sun as she stared up at me. "But why?"

"This is the biggest building in camp." I said pulling myself over the edge of the roof.

"So?" she asked raising her voice and continuing to squint up at me. She looked even shorter than usual now that I was two stories off the ground.

"So." I called grinning. "It has the best view."

"You're going to break something."

"I'll be fine."

"I wasn't talking about you." She said rolling her eyes as I started to crawl up the slanted roof and look around the camp.

As always, it was beautiful inside the camp borders. Perfect summer weather with blue skies and bright white clouds drifting lazily above the strawberry fields. I could see people walking to and from their activities, talking and laughing with their friends. I glanced at the cabins, they looked tiny from this distance, and I could just see the beach from passed the edge of the woods.

I know some people might think I was crazy for it, but I'd always liked heights. There was something so calming to me about watching things on the ground move from a distance. It was a good place to be removed from it all, it made the constant problems and chaos of demigod life seem less significant.

"Are you done yet?" Tess asked impatiently. "We're supposed to be helping the new campers with archery lessons in five minutes."

"Stop worrying." I said lazily leaning back and putting my arms behind my head while looking up at the sky.

"I'm going to leave without you." She warned.

"I know you will." I said closing my eyes.

"Chiron won't be happy if he finds out you ditched lessons again."

"He's never happy."

I could hear the noise of exasperation she made and had to bite back a smile, but as a thought occurred to me, I opened my eyes and quickly sat up.

"What?" she asked obviously noticing the change in my demeanor.

"That was Aspen, in the Big House, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." She said frowning.

"He was the one who sent the distress signal to camp a few days ago right? The one about being trapped in the warehouse with new campers by the drakons?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with- THEA!" she shouted as I got to my feet quickly and sprinted to the highest point on the roof looking at the border of the camp. "You're going to fall!"

I ignored her and searched the boundary for signs of movement. There. A lonely figure staggering up the Half-Blood hill.

"What are you doing?" she asked horrified as I leapt off the edge of the roof, caught the branch of a tree, then dropped lightly to the ground.

"Let's go." I said already running.

"Wait, what?"

But I ignored her and continued my way to the border

"Thea I'm not as fast as you!" she shouted tearing after me.

To be fair, nobody was.

We made it just in time, Tess several seconds behind me and out of breath.

"What was that about?" she asked panting but before I could answer someone shouted.

"HE'S BACK!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the hill. A boy, tall and dark haired with tattered clothes crossed into camp, looking bruised and exhausted, as if he'd spent the last week going round after round with a semi truck.

Suddenly, there was a mad rush to get to the boy as what looked like every camper and their sister sprinted to him, but Tess and I hung back. He was quickly mobbed by the crowd, all eager to hear about his latest mission.

"ADAM!"

"What happened?"

"Did you kill any cool monsters? Did they leave behind any spoils?"

"Well," she said giving me a smirk. "You going to go talk to him?"

I didn't answer, I didn't have to. A hush fell over the crowd as three blonde, and extremely beautiful joined the mass and people practically fell over themselves trying to get out of the way of the tallest and the prettiest one.

He smiled when he spotted her and pulled her into a kiss which lead to several wolf whistles and I looked away. The son of Zeus and extremely talented with a sword, Adam was the best hero of our generation, and the most popular guy in camp. It would makes sense he'd be dating one of the Aphrodite girls, and not just any girl, he was dating Crystal Valaria. The head of the cabin and the prettiest girl in camp.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked raising an eyebrow and she frowned.

Crystal didn't like other girls talking to her boyfriend let alone getting near him and she especially didn't like me. It wasn't as if I was afraid of Crystal, she wasn't particularly powerful herself, but she had a lot of influence over the camp, and being labeled the Hermes token trouble maker and thief, I didn't exactly have a lot of friends here.

"I still don't understand what he sees in her." She said flatly looking at the couple. "She's so awful."

I shrugged.

I'd known Adam for a long time. We'd joined camp around the same time years ago, but unlike Adam who was called upon every time there was a problem, I'd never gone on any missions or quests. I didn't know if you'd exactly call us friends, I rather got the feeling I annoyed him sometimes. Because of his father, he had a passion for up holding rules which I'd made a habit of breaking, but we go along as well as a child of Zeus and a child of Hermes could. I even thought we might be friends a few years back, but that was until he started dating Crystal. I didn't know why she hated me so much. Sure I'd played a couple of pranks on her, but she'd hated me long before any of that and had made it extremely clear she didn't want me anywhere near her boyfriend.

Still, I couldn't help but be entertained by him. Older campers were supposed to help out the younger kids by teaching them Greek, helping them with chores, and teaching them to fight and sometimes we just ended up together. I had to admit, I kind of liked it when he was around.

"Well she's lucky she's pretty." Tess said sourly but then something about my expression softened hers. "C'mon."

She started walking and motioned for me to follow her.

"Where are we going?"

"Everyone's come here to see Adam right?" she said grinning. "That means the armory will be empty right?"

"So?"

"So." She said with a grin. "We never did get Ares boys back for bullying the new campers did we."

I grinned.

"We didn't. Do you think it's time to rectify that unfortunate situation?"

"I think it is." she said with a smirk, and together, we started making our way to the armory.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the review! Here's the second chapter! Hope you like it!

~secrethalfblood

...

Apov

It took a while for people to return to their normal schedules after I'd made it back to camp, but finally the crowd had died out and I'd managed to get the medical attention I'd needed after my mission.

"My brave hero." Crystal said pinching my cheek and I winced, despite the ambrosia not all of my injuries had healed, including the gash I'd gotten from a gorgon on my face. "Saving the new campers and fighting the monsters off so they could get across the border. What would the camp do without you?"

"The camp would be fine." I said dismissively. "There's plenty of capable heroes here."

"Yes, but you're the best." She said smiling and sliding her hand into mine as we stepped out of the Big House and into the sunlight.

"DUDE!" said an excited voice and I looked up only to be tackled by a tall boy with brown hair and amber eyes.

"Gods Kyle." I groaned as he released me from a rather aggressive hug. "I'm still healing."

Kyle was my best friend and a son of Apollo. Like Crystal he was the head of his cabin, but I hadn't seen him since I got back.

"Sorry Adam." He said while Crystal giggled.

"Where were you during my welcoming party?"

"I was in the strawberry fields, I only just heard you got back. How'd it go? Everyone back safe?"

"Yeah everything's fine."

"How many new campers?" He asked with interest as we started walked passed the volleyball courts towards the cabins.

"Three."

"Anyone interesting?"

"Can't be sure." I said honestly. "They were all pretty young, I doubt any of them even realized they had powers. They had no idea what was going on."

"So," he said with a slight grin. "No siblings for you?"

"Of course not." Crystal said smiling up at me. "He's one of a kind."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised." He said shrugging. "You Big Three heroes aren't exactly a common breed are you?"

I didn't know what to say to this so I said nothing and let them continue to talk.

"So I know you just got back." He said checking his watch, "But we're about to teach a lesson in the arena if you want to help. Though, I don't think anyone would hold it against you if you skipped."

"No." I said shaking my head quickly. "I'll come."

I usually taught most of the combat lessons when I was at camp, along with help from Kyle and a couple of other cabin heads, it was one of the responsibilities I enjoyed the most of being and older camper.

"Alright then," he said sounding amused. "I'm sure they'll be glad you're back and they can get a proper lesson for once. We've just been doing archery this whole time."

"Yeah, because that's all you'll teach them." I said rolling my eyes, he shrugged but didn't look guilty. Kyle didn't take his teaching duties nearly as seriously as I did. Then again, it would probably be hard to make Kyle take anything seriously, he suffered from a distinct lack of discipline. "When does the lesson start?"

"In ten minutes." He said, but just as I was about to ask what Chiron would want us to cover, Crystal made an irritated noise and we both looked at her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Do you really have to go running off to the arena?" she pouted removing her hand from mine and crossing her arms over her chest. "You just got back. I wanted to spend sometime with you."

"What did you want to do?" I asked warily. Usually when Crystal suggested an activity it was generally something I did not enjoy.

"Some of Kyle's sisters are having a poetry reading in their cabin." She said brightly. "I thought we could go there."

Kyle snickered and she threw him a look, but before I could think up a reason not to go other than 'I'd rather stab myself in the ears than listened to bad poetry' I was saved by a shout.

"THEA!"

Everyone within a hundred yards turned to see a tall thick set boy storming out of the armory covered in what looked like black ink.

"This time I swear I'm going to kill her!" The boy roared. "When I get my hands on that little Hermes brat, GODS!"

Several people, including Kyle, tried not to laugh as he passed, slipping and sliding on the ink as he stumbled down the stairs and made it to the grass, but when Derek looked at them they immediately silenced. No one wanted to be on the bad side of one of Ares's kids, especially not Derek. He was the head of their cabin.

He continued to rage through camp trying to rub off the ink, but it only seemed to make it worse. Several people started to whisper, a few smirked, but only I seemed notice the girl sitting on the roof of the armory, her legs dangling over the side, wearing an impish smile and watching Derek's progress as he stumbled away.

She was pretty with long, light brown hair that fell almost to her waist, a tall, light frame, and pretty hazel eyes that were glinting mischievously in the sunlight.

She noticed me and looked surprised for a second, but then her smile grew. She winked, then dropped to the grass with unnatural agility and vanished. Again it seemed as if no one noticed this, I had a feeling I was the only one.

"You know one day Thea's going to get her ass kicked." Kyle said still trying not to laugh and bringing me back to our conversation. His expression sobered quickly however the second he caught Crystal's glare. "Not saying he didn't deserve to get messed with after what he did to those new campers but still. She's pranked nearly everyone in that cabin and they're not exactly the forgiving type. They're going to want to get her back."

"She deserves it." Crystal said sourly. "It wasn't THAT bad."

"What did they do?" I asked confused.

"I forgot you weren't here." Kyle said his eyes wide. "You know those campers that got here a few weeks ago? Well the Ares kids, they played a prank on them that got out of hand. They tricked them into sneaking out of their cabins one night, saying it was a camp tradition, grabbed them and tied them up, then threw them in the lake."

"Are you serious?" I asked my eyes going wide while Crystal made an impatient noise.

"They were fine." She said sounding annoyed. "Honestly, I don't know what everyone is getting so worked up over. The Naiads got them out."

"One of them nearly drowned!" Kyle said indignantly. "And all Chiron did was give them a warning and take away their dessert for a week. You honestly think that's fair?"

Crystal looked as if she wanted to retort but didn't to avoid an argument.

"You really think he deserved that though?" I asked looking over my shoulder as Derek continued walking furiously towards the Big House no doubt to demand Chiron to do something about his current situation. "Chiron already punished him."

"Of course he deserved it Adam!" Kyle said incredulously. "He had his siblings tie up eleven year olds and threw them in the lake and all that happens to them is no sweets for a couple of days? They could have died! You think that was justice?"

"She shouldn't have taken it into her own hands…" I said frowning.

"Yeah, yeah." he said rolling his eyes. "Son of Zeus you want everyone to follow the rules I know. But you have to know by now that Derek is never going to stop being a bully and no one is going to keep Thea in line. She can't help herself."

This was true. Thea had been here for years and everyone knew that from the moment she'd stepped foot in this camp she'd been a menace. Not only talented in the arena, she was an accomplished pick pocket and unparalleled at picking locks. That, paired with borderline kleptomania and a questionable moral compass, and you had the single most unmanageable demigod that had ever walked through this camp.

"I guess you've got a point." I said eventually. I still didn't like it but I was distracted from thinking of this further when Crystal changed the subject.

"Can we please just stop talking about her?" she asked looking, in my opinion, unnecessarily annoyed by the topic of conversation. "Who cares what a stupid little thief does anyways? I've got something actually important to tell you guys."

"What is it?" I asked.

"The Ares cabin is planning on throwing a party tonight after the bonfire, just a fun little way to start off the summer." She said giving me a sexy smile and a wink. "Of course me and my siblings are all invited but I figured it wouldn't be much of a party if the most popular boy in camp doesn't show up."

"Well I'll make sure Kyle's there." I said and he laughed before asking.

"Who all is going to be there?"

"Just the people who matter." She said shrugging casually her but her eyes flashed. "None of the riffraff of course, just the people worth having around."

By that I knew she was talking about Thea. Implying that she was second-class was Crystal's favorite way to make fun of her. I wasn't exactly sure why Crystal acted like this, as far as I knew Thea hadn't done anything too serious to her other than a few minor pranks, but I didn't know why she'd taken them so personally. There wasn't a person in this camp that hadn't been messed with at some point. Something told me it was more than just prank stuff. With the way the she acted about it I had a feeling that it was something much more personal.

"Just thought I'd let you know." She said her voice changing from frigid to sweet so quickly it was almost alarming. "I'll see you boys at the party."

She gave me a kiss and a dazzling smile, apparently forgetting she'd invited me to the poetry reading and jogging to catch up with a few of her sisters that were making their way towards the Apollo cabin.

"I've got to get going too." Kyle said glancing at his watch. "I've got to set up the arena if those kids want any kind of lesson to day. You still coming?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. Let me just go get changed and I'll meet you there."

"Cool." He said and with a final wave he started walking in the direction of the arena. I watched him go wondering if I had time to drop by the armory and pick up some gear before the lesson when an amused voice caused me to jump.

"Your girlfriend still really doesn't like me then does she?"

"What the-?" I asked looking around wildly.

I heard a laugh from above and I looked up to see Thea sitting on a low tree branch looking down at me with interest.

"How long have you been there?" I asked her and she grinned.

"Long enough." She said sounding entertained. "You'd be surprised how infrequently people look up."

"What are you doing up there?" I asked suspiciously.

I wasn't sure how I felt about Thea. I'd known her for a very long time, but we were never particularly close. She'd always caused too much trouble for me to want to be associated with her too much, but I always got the impression that she rather liked me. She knew how Crystal felt about her so she kept her distance but still, she always got this same expression when she saw me, like I amused her. It was the same one was wearing now.

"Don't worry boy scout," she said her smile growing, letting herself slip sideways off the branch so she was hanging by her knees, her hair dangling, catching in the breeze and her eyes level with mine. "For once I'm not up to anything."

"You're always up to something."

"That hurts." She said her tone reproachful but her eyes still glittering. "Can't I have one conversation without someone making assumptions about me?"

I felt my eyes narrow but her face betrayed nothing, she just continued to grin at me with that same mischievous smile.

"If you're not causing trouble what are you doing?" I asked her.

"Who says I'm doing anything?" She said with a trace of her laugh in her voice as she sat back up on the branch then dropped back to the ground lightly. "Maybe I just like being in trees."

She was standing very close to me and I took a step back still uncertain how to feel. I'd fought legendary monsters, spoken with the Gods, and gone on countless missions and quests, but there was something about Thea that was just… intimidating. I guess that wasn't quite the right word for it, but something about her had always made me uniquely uncomfortable. I wasn't afraid of her, but she was extremely pretty. She had this way of smiling at you that got you to do things you wouldn't normally do, and it wasn't just me, it seemed like everyone in camp had at one point agreed to do her some sort of favor. She was extremely persuasive.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

"I already have what I want." She said slyly.

"What?" I asked confused but before she could answer, an irate a voice rang out across the grounds and we turned towards it.

"Thea!" Chiron shouted angrily cantering towards us.

"Yes?" she asked, her expression the picture of innocence that not a single person here would have believed it.

"Did you rig Derek's weapons in the armory with ink bombs?"

"No." she said lying easily.

"Why don't I believe you?" He said narrowing his eyes.

"Because this camp has a deep rooted prejudice against my siblings and all things related to my father." She said helpfully.

"Empty your pockets." He said clearly not amused.

"That seems a little unfair." She said crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him with a frown. "You don't have any proof it was me do you? For all you know I could be innocent."

"You're never innocent." He said flatly. "But if you are, then you should have no problem showing me what's in your pockets." He said and she shrugged.

"Fine." She said easily. She reached into her shorts pockets and pulled out a pen, a wallet, and a couple of hair ties. "See." She said holding them out for Chiron to expect. "No bombs."

"Maybe not on you." He said. "But I'll bet there are some in your trunk in your cabin. Which I'm having searched now."

"Well that sounds like an invasion of privacy…" she muttered but he continued to scowl and she put her hands up in surrender. "Fine, but good luck getting in there." She said with a grin and I knew why. Thea lived in a cabin full of demigods that were born to break into things and steal. She might have been the best at it at camp but that didn't mean her brothers and sisters weren't good at it too. "I've got a special lock, one that only I can get open. Tess made it for me."

Chiron looked uncertain for a second, but Thea continued.

"You can take the key if you like though." She said reaching under the collar of her shirt and showing him a bronze key that hung on a necklace with several clay beads on it. "I've got nothing to hide."

"I think I will." He said looking at her suspiciously, obviously wondering if she knew he'd call her bluff.

"Take it." She said sliding the key off the necklace and tossing it to him. "Use it to see that I'm clean."

"Alright." He said catching the key then giving her another mistrustful look.

She stared right back.

"I guess we'll see." He said slowly then walked away.

She watched him for a moment, then, when he was out of ear shot, smiled at me.

"Thank you Adam." She said brightly.

"For what?" I asked.

"For not checking your pockets." She said and I immediately put my hand into my front pocket and felt something round and metallic resting there.

I checked my other pockets and found several similar black metal orbs, each with gears and trip wire rigging.

"Did you put those there?" I asked her indignantly.

"Relax, I knew he wouldn't check you." She said easily taking the ink bombs and pocketing them. "I'll see you around Adam."

She gave me a final knowing smile, then walked away her long hair swinging in the breeze.


	3. Chapter 3

Tpov

I was a hero in my cabin that night. The second I stepped into the run down building, intending to grab a sweater before the bonfire, there was an explosion of cheers and applause as my many siblings congratulated me on Tess's and my prank. I laughed and raised my arms in mock celebration as I earned many hugs from my younger siblings and high fives from the others. The Ares cabin was most unpopular after they'd attacked several of our younger siblings for hiding some of their clothes, and for a while now we'd been wanting to get back at them.

"Alright, alright, settle down." Austin, the oldest of us all and head of our cabin said gesturing for the room to quiet. He was tall with a lean build, light brown hair like mine, and the same hazel eyes that so many of us had which he fixed on me. "Seeing as I'm a cabin head and I can't condone the actions of today's pranksters, who ever they might be." He said rolling his eyes. "I feel it is my responsibility to remind you all that acts such as this cause more trouble than they're worth and in attempt to repair our cabin's already damaged reputation, that we should refrain from engaging in such activities such as booby trapping the Ares weapons with ink bombs." His lip twitched and his voice shook slightly from the effort of repressing his laughter. "No matter how amusing they may be."

There were general responses of "yeahs" and "whatevers" to this pronouncement, but most people rolled their eyes and started making their way out of the cabin towards to go to the bonfire. I earned a few more high fives as people passed me to get to the door, and soon the cabin was empty except for Austin and I.

"That was pretty funny." He said grinning at me and I smiled guiltily.

"Chiron didn't yell at you did he?"

"No." he said shaking his head. "He couldn't prove one of us, so he can't take any action."

"Well that's good."

I would have felt bad if Austin had gotten in trouble because of me.

"You know we're going to have to talk about this." He said with a sigh and dropping onto the dilapidated couch in our common area and motioning for me to join him.

"I know." I said falling next to him and he put an arm around my shoulder.

As the head of our cabin, he was supposed to try and keep us in line, but considering who our father was, that was pretty much impossible. Still, people tended to blame Austin when we did things wrong. They expected him to handle the situation.

"So?" he prompted. "Why did you do it?"

"You know why."

He was the closest to me in age but that wasn't why he was my favorite brother. He was the first person to make me feel accepted and wanted at camp where so many people didn't trust our family. He taught me how to pick pockets and pick locks, and had always been there for me. No matter what anyone said, I thought he was the best head of cabin in the camp. Fitting in as a demigod was hard enough already, but as a child of Hermes it was especially challenging. We were designed to mess with people and while we were used to our things constantly disappearing and trying to steal them back, the other campers didn't take quite so naturally to it. Our reputation around the camp wasn't exactly great, but no matter how much trouble we got him in, he never once made us feel bad or like we were worse than other campers. He knew how hard it was to grow up as a child of Hermes.

"Yeah, I know." He said ruffling my hair and I pushed his hand away. "But you young lady can't be taking any more PR hits right now. You're already in trouble with Chiron and don't think I didn't notice you stole your stuff back." He said sagely. "So when he notices that you're going to be even worse off."

"I know."

"So why do you keep doing this to yourself?"

"I dunno." I muttered shrugging. "You know what it's like."

"I do." He said with a frown. "We all do. But no one gets into as much trouble as you."

"It wasn't like I didn't have a reason." I said hearing the justifying note in my tone. "They deserved it. And no one else was going to do it."

"Yeah, because they're smart." He pointed out.

"I didn't get caught."

"Yes, but everyone knows it was you." He said sagely. "And now you've got one more thing for people to hold against you."

"I know." I said staring at my feet. "I just, I can't help it." I said shaking my head. "Thinking of what they did to those kids. It wasn't fair. And no was doing anything about it."

He sighed and looked straight ahead of him.

"Look Thea, I know it's harder for you than it is for most of us." He said quietly. "You've got the most skill out of any one in the cabin, but it seems like you also got the most of our more difficult qualities and I know that's not easy, but you can't let it keep taking you over like this. You're not just hurting yourself."

"I know." I said quietly.

My brothers and sisters might have been cheering me tonight, but the reality of the situation was that I was just making things worse for them. It was more than possible I'd started a battle between our cabin and the Ares children and I'd given the camp something else to blame us for, another reason to mistrust us.

"Besides." He said cheerfully and I looked up to see him grinning at me. He held up his hand and I saw a bronze chain with a small sword pendant dangling from his fingers. "You've still got a few things to learn."

"Ok, I'll admit it. That was good." I said snatching my necklace back from him.

"I'm still the master." He said getting to his feet and looking down at me smugly. "Don't worry little Thea, you'll reach my level eventually."

"Yeah, yeah." I said rolling my eyes.

"Shall we get going?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna grab a jacket." I said.

"Ok, I'll wait for you." He said and I made my way to the room in which my bunk was located.

It was dark when I opened the door. I ran my hand up the wall until it hit the switch and immediately went for my trunk unlocking it, unsurprised that nothing was missing. I put on my jacket and had straightened up when I spotted it. A small scroll resting on the pillow of my bunk, that hadn't been sitting there just seconds ago when I entered the room.

My stomach clenched as I recognized the silver ribbon that tied the scroll shut. I approached it cautiously and picked it up, feeling goose bumps erupt on my skin as an unfamiliar sense of power ran through me. I didn't have to open it to know what it was.

Why now?

"You coming?" Austin shouted from the hall.

"Yeah." I said quickly pocketing the scroll, kicking the trunk shut, and jogging out into the hall.

"What took you so long?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing." I lied putting my hands in my pockets and following him out of the cabin into the summer night. "Just got distracted, lost in thought you know?"

"Who? You?" he asked sarcastically and I laughed.

"Hard to believe right?"

"Yeah." He said with a smirk.

Silence stretched between us as we walked to the bonfire, each of us lost in our own thoughts until we reached the rest of the campers.

"Hey." Tess said grinning as I took a spot on a log next to her. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Two of the new campers has already been claimed. It happened right after everyone left dinner."

"Who was it?"

"The girl and the older boy, she was Apollo and he was Iris."

"That means there's one left right?"

"Yeah."

"Where is he?"

She gestured to a terrified looking boy who was sitting on a stump by himself glancing around every so often as if he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He was small with messy dark hair and wide brown eyes. I felt a pang of sympathy remembering how horrible my first day had felt. I was confused and scared out of my mind having been chased by monsters the entire way here, and afraid I wasn't going to fit in at any cabin. I could tell he was feeling the same.

I smiled at him but couldn't tell if this made him feel better or worse and he quickly looked away.

"Well he'll be claimed soon." I said. "Hopefully then he'll stop looking like he's about to pass out."

"Be nice." She chided and I grinned.

"Alright everybody!"

We all looked up from our individual conversations to see Kyle, the head of the Apollo cabin standing with his arms wide, obviously trying to direct the attention towards himself. It was tradition for his cabin to lead the bonfire activities.

"We're about to get started with the campfire songs." He said as one of his siblings passed him a guitar. "Any requests?"

"Freebird!"

"Shut up Matthew." Kyle said irritated. "Something we're actually going to play."

But before anyone could respond, there was a flash of bright white light and the sound of a cannon being fired. Several people dove for cover and I felt Tess fall backward off the log and as I squinted at the source of the light.

"W-what's happening?" a petrified voice asked and we all turned to look at the new boy, who was hovering a few feet off the ground with white wings of pure light protruding from his busted sneakers and my fathers symbol burning in the same light above him.

Everything went dead silent.

"You've just been claimed." Chiron stepped out of the crowd and looking shrewdly down at the boy. "Welcome Dennis, Son of Hermes."

The boy drifted slowly back to the ground as the light faded and I cheered with the rest of my siblings while behind me I heard.

"Oh gods not another one."

I turned but was not surprised to see Crystal sitting not far away from me. She caught my gaze and gave me a filthy look before leaning over to one of her sisters and whispering something obviously unkind to which they both giggled nastily.

"Well that was a bit dramatic." Tess said her voice still shaking slightly as she sat back on the log. "Next time you see your dad tell him to take it easy on the lights show will you?"

"Yeah." I said distractedly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said shaking my head and turning back to my new brother who still looked as if he wasn't sure if he was going to faint or throw up. "Hey, I'm going to help Dennis, I'll talk to you tomorrow ok?"

"Alright." She said with a shrug. "Night."

"Night." I said getting to my feet and walking over to Dennis where Austin was already making introductions to the few of my siblings that had drifted over to greet our new brother.

"Speaking of trouble." He said with a grin. "This is another one of our sisters. Thea. Don't listen to a word she says, ever."

"I love you too bro." I said pointedly and he laughed.

"I'm just looking out for the kid."

"You know some people would argue you were a bad influence on me." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, well do you mind being a bad influence on Dennis and showing him where he'll be sleeping?"

"Sure." I said amused and looking down at the tiny boy. He couldn't have been older than thirteen. "Follow me kid."

He hesitated, looking at Austin for reassurance and Austin nodded, and the boy stepped after me.

"It's Dennis right?" I asked as we walked away from the bonfire, where the songs had now finally started.

"Yeah." He said quietly.

"Well like Austin said, I'm Thea."

"Yeah I know." He said and I found his tone strange. He must have noticed because he clarified. "A lot of people talk about you."

I grinned. I could only imagine what he'd heard.

"Don't worry, I only bite on Mondays."

"Today is Monday."

"Well you should probably start running then." I said seriously and finally he managed a smile.

He looked over his shoulder at the fire and the number of campers that were singing in the distance as we walked away.

"So, are you like, _really_ related to me?" he asked and he sounded as if he wasn't quite sure if he believed it.

"Yep."

"And all those kids back there? They're really all of our brothers and sisters?"

"It can be a lot to take in at first." I said sympathetically. "I remember how weird it was for me. Like walking into class on the first day only to find that everyone's related to you."

"Yeah." He said sounding conflicted.

"You'll get used to it." I assured him. "You'll get to know everyone fast enough, and everyone's pretty nice. Just keep an eye on your stuff."

"People said you guys would steal it."

"I'm not going to pretend like we're not." I said with a sigh and keeping my eyes fixed on our cabin as it got closer. "But don't take it personally. At this point it's more of a game than anything, it's good practice, helps keep us on our toes and hone our skills."

"Of stealing?" he asked uncertainly.

"Well yeah," I admitted. "But that's not the only thing we're about. Our Dad's sort of a mixed bag. Trust me, we're not as bad as we sound. You'll probably end up liking us more than the rest of the camp."

"You think?" he asked.

"Yeah. People here don't always understand us." I said putting my hands in my pockets and feeling my stomach clench as my fingers brushed the scroll. "But in our cabin we look out for each other. So if anyone bothers you, you just tell your big sis ok?" I said grinning down at him. "And I'll make sure they get what's coming to them."

"Like you did with those Ares boys earlier today?" he asked timidly and I smirked.

"Exactly."

We stepped into the cabin and I lead him to one of the boys rooms and showed him to an empty bunk where he rested the book bag he'd been carrying.

"Well, this is it." I said gesturing towards the bed as he looked nervously around. "Your trunk is at the end of your bunk there, but I wouldn't leave anything important in there until you get an enchanted lock or something. Otherwise it'll be gone in an hour. Oh, and you'll need some of these." I said pulling out my wallet and handing him a couple of drachmas. "Some people only accept drachmas as payment in camp. They're useful to have."

"But this is yours." He said inspecting one of the coins. "Don't you need it?"

"Don't worry." I said grinning. "I'll be fine. I'm good with money."

"You sure?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. You got anything important you want to keep safe?"

"I guess my iPod." He said pulling the device out of a small pocket in his bag.

"I can keep it until you can get a better lock for your trunk if you want." I said. "I'm the only one who can get into mine."

He hesitated, obviously not sure if he should trust me or not.

"Dennis, if I was going to steal your iPod I would have had it by now." I said rolling my eyes.

"Alright." He said handing me the device.

"Just come and find me when you want to use it." I said and he nodded, he still looked a little down.

"It gets better you know." I said sitting next to him on his bed. The reality of his situation seemed to be hitting him. He looked close to tears. "Pretty soon you'll make friends and you'll be excited to come back over breaks."

"I dunno." He said dejectedly. "Not a lot of people like this cabin."

"Don't let them make you feel ashamed." I said putting a hand on his shoulder and remembering what Austin had said to me so many years ago. "Don't allow other people's expectations of you change how you define yourself."

"Seems that's what you did." He said glancing sideways at me. "Everyone says you're the biggest thief here."

"I am what I am because I want to be," I said with a grin. "Not because that's what people tell me to be. And I'm not embarrassed by it. You'd be surprised how many people need help from a thief, they just won't admit it."


	4. Chapter 4

Apov

I had to admit I wasn't really one for parties, but I knew Crystal would kill me if I didn't show up to the beach with the rest of her friends, so I found myself alone staring at the sound wondering how long I had to be here before I could leave. I was still exhausted and slightly sore from all the monster attacks I'd had to endure over the passed couples of days and I didn't really feel like being around people at the moment. I just wanted to go to bed.

"So, having a good time?" Kyle asked sitting next to me on one of the pieces of drift wood we'd put around the bonfire on the beach. Music was blasting from a beat up boom box, the moon was full, and the fire was huge. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I shrugged.

"Crystal's mad at me."

"Seems like situation normal lately." He said frowning. "What's she pissed about now?"

Another shrug.

I wasn't even sure what really, but she'd stormed off with her sisters all speaking rapidly in French and was now flirting with a few of the Ares boys, throwing me pointed looks every once and a while. This sort of behavior used to infuriate me when we'd first started dating, but I was so used to it by now that all it did was mildly irritate. Why did she have to be so immature? I'd been back for less than a day and already she'd found some new sort of drama. The truth was, I was a little bored.

"Seems like you need one of these." He said holding up a beer.

"Where did you get this?" I asked him suspiciously.

He shrugged.

"One of the Ares kids has a hook up. They've got vodka too if that's what you'd prefer."

"I'm not drinking that." I said annoyed.

"You're not going to get in trouble." He said rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point. It's illegal."

"Fine." He said sticking his hands up in surrender. "More beer for me."

I felt another twinge of annoyance as I looked around and saw several other people were drinking. No one here was over twenty-one. Didn't anyone respect the law?

Crystal giggled loudly while Derek put his arm around her shoulder but I ignored her. Me getting upset was just what she wanted, and with my powers loosing control of my temper was dangerous, especially with this many people around. I contented myself with thinking of how stupid Derek had looked earlier covered in ink, there were still smudges on his skin that hadn't completely washed out. I grinned. Maybe Thea was right, he might have deserved it.

"You know you could go talk to other girls." He said frowning when he spotted Crystal. "It's only fair."

"It's not worth it." I muttered tiredly, regretting the decision to come to the party. "Can you imagine dealing with Crystal if she thought I was flirting with other girls?"

He shuddered.

"She'd be an absolute terror."

"Exactly." I said with a nod. "The best thing is wait for her to get bored of them, she always does. It goes faster when I don't give a reaction."

"Well good luck." He said clapping his hand on my shoulder then standing. "But, if you don't mind me leaving, there's a very pretty girl here from the Athena cabin I'd like to get to know."

"Go ahead." I said glancing at the girl. "Her name is Ashley, she likes Star Wars and retro video games."

"Gods I love nerdy girls." He said with a confident smile. Then, after downing his beer, he walked over to Ashley and engaged her in a conversation.

I continued to watch the party for a while for the next couple of minutes, still feeling irritated and the longer I stayed the worse it got. I mean, why did Crystal even invite me to this party if she wasn't going to talk to me? I'd just gotten back from a mission today, I was exhausted, still not totally healed and now I was just sitting by myself not talking to anyone. Part of me considered just getting up and leaving, there was nothing here for me but I knew Crystal would be angry if I ditched whether she was talking to me or not.

I was just going through a mental pros and cons list when I saw something that distracted me from my poor mood.

"What are you doing here?" I asked finally leaving my seat when I spotted Thea leaning against a boulder, her arms crossed over her chest, a little apart from the main crowd on the beach but still very clearly within the proximity of the party.

Something of my irritation with Crystal must have come across in my tone because when she looked at me she raised an eyebrow.

"Well hello to you too sunshine." She said sarcastically with a grin. "You always know how to make me feel so welcome."

"That didn't come out right." I said still frustrated, but now more so with myself than anything else. It wasn't her fault Crystal was acting the way she was. I didn't need to be taking it out on Thea.

"I should say so."

"I'm just a little surprised that you were invited."

Her eyebrow arched higher.

"Why? Am I not cool enough to hang out with you and your friends, or are you afraid your little girlfriend will get upset? Because she seems far too preoccupied to be bothered with noticing me." She said nodding towards Crystal who was now getting a piggy back ride from a boy who I thought was called Stephen but I wasn't sure.

"Of course she is." I said sourly.

"Is that what's got you in such a mood?" She asked tilting her head slightly as she considered me.

I looked at her uncertainly. I knew I'd messed up, but she didn't look mad. Her expression was hard to read, not least because we were on the edge of the fire's light.

"Is there anyway out of this that doesn't make me sound like a jerk?" I asked flatly and she chuckled.

"No, not really."

"I Just. I didn't think Crystal would invite you."

"It's not Crystals party." She said shrugging. "And besides. Where do you think all your popular friends got their booze? The satyrs?"

"Ah." I said my irritation returning. "So is this your idea of fun is it? Getting alcohol to minors?"

"You think I think this is fun?" she asked skeptically looking at the party with distaste.

"Aren't you all about breaking the rules and getting into crazy situations?"

For once she didn't laugh, she didn't even smile.

"What's crazy about this?" she asked sounding thoroughly unimpressed. "Teenagers getting drunk on a beach is hardly something to elevate the heart rate. This is simply a business transaction."

"What?" I asked confused.

"Did you really think I would get them this for free?" she asked dubiously and something about her expression made my heart skip a beat. Not for the first time I felt nervous around her. Talking to Thea was not like talking to Crystal or any other girl. She was so different than what I was used to.

"How much did they pay you?"

"Does that matter?"

"I guess not." I said more to myself than to her and I frowned.

A moment of silence passed between us where it seemed neither of us really knew what to say. Several topics crossed my mind, but nothing that wasn't painfully awkward small talk.

"I'm sorry she's acting this way." She said eventually. "It can't be fun for you."

"What?"

"Your girlfriend."

"Oh." I said realizing I'd completely forgotten about Crystal. "She'll get over it eventually."

"Why is she mad at you?"

"I don't really know." I said honestly then grinned. "But I guess you know something about that wouldn't you?"

She smiled.

"That I would."

More silence.

"Well," she said straightening up. "Maybe you can figure it out for the both of us."

"Where are you going?" I asked feeling slightly disappointed. I'd actually been starting to enjoy myself for the first time all night.

"You think I've got nothing better to do than sit around watching other people party?"

"It's the middle of the night, what on earth could you possibly have to do right now?"

She considered me for a moment, as if she wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but the words she eventually decided on were just as cryptic as the smirk that accompanied them.

"Something fun."

She turned, but instead of making her way towards the path that lead back to the main part of camp, she headed straight for the woods.

"Hold on." I said following after her. "You can't go in there."

"Why not?" she asked not bothering to look over her shoulder at me or to stop, so I was forced to jog a few steps to catch up to her.

"Because it's dangerous."

She laughed.

"I'm serious." I said stepping in front of her. "It's dark, the woods are stocked with all kinds of monsters, you're alone and you're not even wearing armor."

"It's a full moon," she said stepping around me and continuing to walk. "There's plenty of light, I can handle any monster that's unfortunate enough to cross my path, and armor or a companion would just slow me down."

I followed her.

"Slow you down for what?"

She didn't answer.

"Thea what are you up to?"

She grinned at me.

"Does it matter?"

"It does if you think you're going in there."

"I am going in there."

"Just hold on a second." I said lunching trying to grab her wrist but she easily side stepped and I shot passed her, lost my balance, and toppled into the grass.

Though we were out of the range of the fire light, with the moon I could see her expression, it was something between confusion and amusement as she leaned over me.

"Why are you following me Adam?"

I stared at her.

"I'm trying to stop you from getting yourself hurt." I said. Wasn't that obvious?

"I'm tough." She said with a shrug.

"But-"

"If you can't get a hold of me do you really think a monster could?" she asked and despite how it sounded, her tone wasn't arrogant. It was an actual question.

"That's not the point." I said in frustration while sitting up. "You can't go in there!"

"Why?" she asked offering a hand to help me up which I took.

"It's against the rules."

"So?"

"So? So it's not allowed. Not by yourself and certainly not without armor."

"But what's stopping me?" she asked giving me a curious look.

"I-"

"Did someone build a wall around the woods?"

"No."

"Is there some sort of magical force field, or did I suddenly break both of my legs making it impossible for me to walk in?"

"No."

"So then," she said looking at me with interest. "What exactly is stopping me?"

I hesitated. Several reasons went through my mind, but none of my thoughts seemed to be connecting. She couldn't just break the rules like that, we had rules for a reason. What if she got hurt?

None of this came out however. Nothing seemed to be able to travel from my thoughts to actual words. She continued to look at me, obviously expecting for me to say something but nothing came out. I couldn't think of a single thing that would keep Thea from doing exactly what she liked. My brain didn't seem to be working properly.

She seemed to know it too because her smile grew, apparently she enjoyed watching me struggle. I hated it when she did this. She always seemed to know how to make me question myself. I was the most certain person I knew until Thea came along. All it took was a couple of minutes and everything got so confusing. I didn't like it.

So why had I followed her?

"So, we've agreed then? Nothing's stopping me." she asked cheerfully side stepping me and continuing her way to the woods, but time I managed to catch her arm and she looked back at me in surprise.

"I'm stopping you." I said eventually.

"Why?" she asked looking genuinely confused.

"Because something might happen, you could get hurt."

"You're over reacting." She said in exasperation. "Nothing is-"

"We're demigods." I said cutting her off. "Something always happens."

She pulled her arm out of hand.

"Look Adam." She said frowning. "I know you like being the hero, but you don't have to do your whole gallant knight in shining armor with me. I'm not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself."

"This has nothing to do with that." I said angrily.

How many times had I been on a mission where someone had assured me they'd be fine? How many times had I heard it, then something went disastrously wrong…

Her eyes met mine, stubborn and somewhat defiant, and it struck me that this was probably the longest time we'd been alone together in years.

"Adam?"

I felt my heart skip a beat and Thea looked over my shoulder.

"Speaking of distressed damsels, here comes yours now."

"Adam, are you out here?"

Crystal had evidently come to find me.

"You'd better get back to her." She said quietly. "She won't be happy if she sees you here."

"You're still going to go in there." I said. It wasn't a question, it was a fact.

"I could lie to you if you want, it might make you feel better."

"It doesn't work if you tell me." I said annoyed and she laughed slightly.

"I'll see you around Adam."

She turned and started to walk away.

"Adam what are you doing out here?" Crystals voice said and I turned to see her expression of concern was quickly turning to annoyance now that she'd found me. "You could be at a totally awesome party but instead you're just standing out here like a loser alone in the dark?"

"I-" I started in surprised but looked over my shoulder to see that Thea had vanished. "I thought I saw someone out here."

"Well get back to the party." She said grumpily. "Why'd you even bother coming if you weren't going to talk to anyone?"

I knew what I wanted to say, but I was careful not to. Pointing out that she'd made me come when I didn't want to would only start a fight. Instead, I followed her back to the beach as she ranted about one of her sisters doing something asinine, but I blocked it out already feeling my poor mood returning. Crystal continued speaking, but I didn't hear a word.

Thea was still going into the woods on her own and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. It was dark, she was alone with no armor and those woods were stocked with monsters. What if something happened to her?

We made it back to the beach and I expected Crystal to wander off and try to make me jealous, but was surprised when she liked her arm with mine and brought me over to talk to with a couple of her friends.

Kyle spotted me from the other side of the fire and gave me the thumbs up. His arm was around Ashley.

Well I guess one good thing had come out of my conversation with Thea. At least Crystal was talking to me again.

I looked back in the direction of the woods, knowing it was far too dark to be able to see anything.

I shouldn't have been worried. Thea was right, she could take care of herself, I'd seen her in the arena but still. She shouldn't have been alone. What was she even doing in the woods anyways?

"See aren't you glad you came?" Crystal asked breaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yeah." I said not so honestly.

"What are you looking at?" she asked suspiciously passed the bank and towards the dark trees.

"Nothing." I said shaking my head.

"You're being really weird tonight." She said in an accusatory tone.

"Just tired from the mission." I said and while she didn't look like she believed me, she didn't argue. She did look back at the woods though and her eyes narrowed.

"I think I'm just going to go back to my cabin." I said eventually. "I'm tired."

"Fine." She said coldly.

I knew she was upset that I was ditching her, but I really didn't care. I really was exhausted and I didn't feel like dealing with people. As I made my way back to the cabins, I looked at the woods, wondering if I should go after Thea and make sure she was ok.

'You'd never find her.' A voice in the back of my mind said.

This was probably true. She was smart, she was fast, and considering who her father was, incredibly adept getting pretty much anywhere she wanted undetected. I'd only find Thea if she wanted to be found.


	5. Chapter 5

Tpov

I winced as I wrapped the bandage around the acid burn on my arm.

"Damn drakons." I muttered.

"What happened to you?" Tess asked frowning approaching Cabin 11's porch as I tended to my wound.

"Went for a midnight stroll." I said ripping a strip of medical tape with my teeth and using it to secure the gauze. "Ran into a couple of things that go bump in the night."

"What were you doing last night?"

"You know me." I said with a grin. "When the moon is full I'm out and about."

"Yeah well maybe you should stop." She said eyeing the injury.

"Probably, but you know I won't."

"Yeah, I do." She said rolling her eyes. "You ready?"

"Yeah, lets go." I said and we started making our way towards the dining pavilion for breakfast and compared schedules for the day.

"You got any plans during free time?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "My brother Andrew and I are working on a couple of wire traps for Friday. What are you going to do?"

"No idea." I said as we passed the last of the cabins. "I'm sure I'll find some way to amuse myself though."

"You always seem to." She said with a slight laugh.

"What's our team looking like anyways?"

"Well so far it's your cabin, my cabin, the Athena kids." She said pulling a face as she tried to remember. "The Apollo and Ares teamed up, Adam is Kyles best friend and his girlfriend is really close with the Ares cabin so he's going to be on their team. I think there's a couple of people from a few other cabins that are undecided, but it's looking like the Hecate cabin is leaning towards teaming with Apollo and Ares."

"Should be a close game." I said as we entered the pavilion and grabbed plates.

"Yeah. It'll be interesting to see who wins." She said barely keeping a straight face, but her eyes met mine and we both burst out laughing.

The teams hadn't changed much over the passed few weeks, at least not when it came to the allegiances of the main Olympian cabins, and our team had won the last three games.

The problem was, while the Ares campers were strong, and they had they had the most powerful person in camp on their team, we had the best weapons and the best battle strategists in the camp. My siblings and I were also much faster than them so that even the Apollo children had trouble hitting us with their arrows, they were out gunned and out classed.

"I'm gonna go sit down." She said after we'd grabbed our food. "I'll see you at the strawberry fields later?"

"Yeah. I'll be there." I said and with a final smile she went to go sit with her siblings while I made my way to the table with mine. As soon as I approached, a group of them stopped what looked like an argument and all turned to look at me.

"Oh good!" Kevin, one of my younger brothers, said excitedly as I sat down. He and his twin sister Jessica, who was sitting next to him, both had blonde hair and light green eyes. "Just the person we need."

"That's not most people's reaction to my presence." I said and they all laughed. "What's up?"

"We need your advice." Jessica said.

"About?"

"Chiron took Jackson's bow this morning, but he wants it back before capture the flag. We were debating the best way to get in his office. How did you do it?"

"Now if I told you that you wouldn't learn anything would you?" I asked taking a bite of pancake.

"Oh come on." Kevin pleaded. "This is important Thea. How's he supposed to fight without a weapon? Can't you just tell us the easiest way to get in?"

"Well," I said between chews and reaching into my pocket. "In my experience, the easiest way get through a lock is use the keys."

I tossed a set of bronze keys on the table at which they stared, wide eyed.

"How did you get those?" Jackson asked. He was thirteen with short red hair and brown eyes that were looking at me in amazement.

"Never you mind." I said with a wink. I'd lifted them off Chiron yesterday during free time hoping to use them to get my necklace and Nona's tools back in his safe after the game on Friday before he noticed they were gone. "Just don't get caught with them. Ok?"

"Alright." They said in unison.

"And take Dennis with you when you go." I said noticing him sitting at the end of the table looking lonely. "He looks like he could do with a bit of an adventure."

"But what if he gets us caught?" Jessica asked nervously. "He's new he doesn't know anything about stealing."

"Well then you'd better run fast." I said with a grin. "I assume he knows enough about that."

"Alright." Kevin said with a shrug while tossing Jackson the keys. "But if we get caught it's every man for himself."

"Fair enough." I agreed.

I kept my eyes on Dennis as they started hatching plans for the assault on Chiron's office, thinking about what Jessica had said.

Dennis was new, and being new at camp was always difficult. He'd just been thrown into a world of monsters and magic and incredible danger with strangers he'd never met and almost no prospect of going home anytime soon. This seemed to be sinking in with him because he looked extremely upset. He'd barely touched his food.

Abandoning my breakfast, I stood and walked to the other side of the table then slipped into the seat opposite from him.

"You ok?"

"Hey Thea." He said looking up at me.

"Rough morning?"

He nodded.

"It'll get better." I assured him. "I know it's a bit of an adjustment but you'll get used to it."

"I miss my mom." He said his voice wobbling a little and his eyes watering. "I haven't heard from her since I left for camp. And they're saying I have to spend the whole summer here."

"Well you need to train up before you can go home." I said. "You need to know how to fight monsters, so you know what to do when you run into them when you do go home."

"Like that Adam guy?" he asked and I suddenly remembered that he and the other demigods he'd arrived with had been trapped for a while until Adam had gone on a rescue mission to recover them.

"Yeah." I said glancing at the table at the far side of the pavilion where Adam sat on his own.

"I don't think I'll ever be a strong as him." He said dejectedly, he looked at me nervously. "What if I can't ever go home?"

"You will." I assured him. "And who cares if you're not a strong as Adam? We've got other talents. Ones that would stump even the strongest of demigods."

"Like what?" he asked curiously and I grinned.

"We've got light fingers." I said inspecting me own. "And we're fast, which means we're ten steps ahead of everyone else. I bet you I could steal anything in this pavilion, and no one outside of our table would notice."

"Really?" he asked with interest.

"Really." I said confidently. "Pick whatever you want.

He glanced around the pavilion and spotted a dagger resting on the Ares table.

"That." He said gesturing towards it. "Can you steal that?"

"No problem." I said with a grin.

I stood and the talk around my table started to die as each of them turned towards me with interest.

Walking as quickly as I could without drawing attention to myself, I crossed the pavilion taking a glass of orange juice from one of the Apollo kids who wasn't paying attention as I passed their table.

As I made it to the Ares table just as Aaron, one of the Hecate boys, was walking by with his breakfast. I stuck out my foot and he tripped, his food launched off his plate in to Derek's face as he and his dishes crashed to the ground.

"What's wrong with you?!" Derek shouted furiously standing and wiping eggs and syrup out of his face as Aaron attempted to push himself to his feet.

"I-I" Aaron stammered looking back to see what he'd tripped over but I was already long gone.

Derek continued to shout drawing the attention of he entire camp, and I set the orange juice on the table next to Sam who owned the dagger and was too busy watching his brother's argument to notice me deliberately tip it over then take a step back, waiting.

"What the?" he said confused as the orange juice dripped into his lap. He swore and scooted farther down away from the dagger trying to avoid the rest of the orange juice that was continuing to run down the table. Other people had noticed the spill now and they were all trying to move away from it and in the confusion I walked along side the bench, lightly picking up the dagger without stopping and transferring to my opposite hand in one motion, effectively hiding it from the view of others at the table.

I rounded the table then made it back to my siblings before Derek had finished snarling at Aaron.

"I think you wanted this." I said grinning at a wide eyed Dennis as I placed the dagger in front of him.

"How did you do that?" he asked as I sat and Kevin laughed.

"She's the best that's how. She could steal the shell off a turtle and walk away with it before it realized it was missing."

"Should we give it back?" he asked picking up the dagger and looking a little guilty.

"Nah, you keep it." I said shrugging. "You need a decent weapon and those muscles heads have more than enough of them."

He smiled.

"Ok." He said still beaming at the blade. "I have to admit, this is pretty cool."

"We can do a lot of cool things." I said with a laugh.

Dennis looked considerably happier for the rest of breakfast. Some of the kids his age had come over to examine the dagger, and I was feeling pretty content as we were dismissed for morning activities, but just as I'd stepped out of the pavilion and started to make my way to the stables where I was supposed to help with the flying lessons a voice said.

"I saw you."

I turned in surprise to see Adam behind me.

"Keep stealing during meals and I _will_ tell Chiron." He said flatly then moved towards the Big House.

I watched him go rooted to the ground in shock.

People walked around me but I continued to stare after Adam in a sort of daze.

"Thea?"

I blinked when a hand was waved in front of my face and only then did I realize that Tess was standing next to me.

"What are you doing?"

"He saw me." I said in disbelief trying to work out how it had happened.

"What?" she asked obviously confused, but I didn't care. I looked back at Adam wondering what had gone wrong.

"No one ever sees me."


	6. Chapter 6

Apov

I never found out what Thea had been up to in the woods the last night, or why she'd decided to create chaos just to relieve Sam of his dagger during breakfast this morning, but I was starting to think it was better not to question why Thea did half the things she did. I would have liked to have put her out of my mind, but it seemed as if the fates just didn't want to allow that to happen.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise as I stepped into the Big House to help tutor some of the younger campers in Greek only to see Thea sitting in a chair in front of the desks looking irritated. "What happened to your arm?"

It was wrapped in a bandage but she ignored the second question in favor of answering the first one.

"Chiron's punishing me." She said stiffly, for once she wasn't smiling. "He knows I like instructing the flying lessons with the pegasai so he sent me here instead."

"What'd you do now?" I asked.

"Well technically I did it last year." She said leaning back in her chair so that two of the legs lifted off the ground. Her feet were resting on the desk in front of her. "He only just found out about it this morning."

"What was it?"

At this she did grin, though it was a little bitter.

"Well, camp can get a little boring for us in Cabin eleven." She said as the younger campers started filing in and filling the desks. "All the rest of you guys get to train all your talents, Apollo gets their archery fields, Ares gets an arena, even you can shoot your little lightning bolts during training and no one gets annoyed, but there's nothing to help us train our skills. So, I might have suggested we play a game that would help us improve our talents without necessarily letting the councilors know."

"So you were encouraging your siblings to steal?" I asked shrewdly.

"That's the thing!" she said letting her chair legs hit the floor and sitting up in apparent exasperation. "We weren't even stealing."

"What's the game?" I asked curious despite myself.

"You know those little smilie face stickers people kept finding all over the place a while back?"

"Yeah." I said frowning. It had been the weirdest thing. All over camp people were finding random stickers of yellow smilie face on their stuff. Really random things too. Things like wallets, iPods, coins, even bottles of sunscreen.

"That was us."

"What do you mean?" I asked frowning.

"Well, we kind of did this thing where you had to lift something off a person without them noticing, put something small on it to prove we'd done it, then put it back before they noticed."

"And your whole cabin was playing?" I asked in amazement.

"Yeah. Each week the winner got to ditch their chores so it got pretty competitive."

"Is this why you're never in the armory when it's your cabins turn to polish armor?"

She grinned. "It's possible."

"How did no one notice?" I asked in bewilderment.

"We chose a different thing every week. Post it notes, pieces of tape, or stickers. That way it didn't get too suspicious if people kept finding lots of the same things over and over again." She scowled again. "Which is why I don't understand why he got so upset. We didn't take anything, no one even noticed. So what does it matter?"

I tried to think of a reason as to why what she did was wrong, but I couldn't.

"Well someone must have noticed, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten caught."

"No one found out." She said shaking her head.

"Then how did Chiron know?"

"He found the scoreboard."

"The what?" I asked frowning.

"Well, each person in camp was worth a different amount of points." She said shrugging. "Depending on how old they were, how powerful, and how attentive. Like Tess for instance, she knows where her stuff is at all times. So getting stuff off her is a little difficult. Same with your girlfriend. She knows more about who's doing what in this camp than anyone and she's always got her eyes open. So naturally, they're harder to take from without being noticed where as you and Kyle though… Not so much."

"Excuse me?" I asked indignantly. "Are you saying that I'm not attentive?"

She nodded.

"That's ridiculous." I said annoyed. "You don't live through as many monster battles as I do if you don't pay attention."

"Uh huh." She said sounding bored. "Do me a favor, take out your wallet will you?"

My heart skipped a beat and I quickly checked my pockets but I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt it in my jeans.

"See." I said pulling it out of my pocket smugly. "Still there."

"Open it."

I did and I jumped in surprised when five paper clips fell out.

"What the-" I said in shock and she laughed.

"This is why you're worth three points." She said amused.

"Three?" I asked not sure why, but feeling insulted.

"I'm sorry." She said shrugging. "But the paper clips don't lie. You don't pay attention."

I checked for my cards and IDs and found that everything, including my money, was there.

"Nothing's missing." I said in surprise.

"Of course not." She said. "The rules are if you take something and have to put it back without being noticed. If you kept anything you were disqualified for the week."

"Why?" I asked her suspiciously.

She looked surprised.

"You really think I'm going to teach eleven year olds to steal people's money? Even I think that's a bit over the line."

"Hard to believe you have a line." I muttered.

"And besides." She said ignoring this. "If things started disappearing in mass over camp, who's the first people you think they'd blame?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "I'm not going to start something positive for my siblings only to have the camp turn around and hate us for it."

"You think this is positive?" I asked her frowning.

"Why not?" she asked. "We didn't take anything, and it's not like we were hurting anyone. Everyone else gets to compete with and show off their talents. Why shouldn't we?"

"But why would you want to?" I asked struggling with this concept. "I mean, yeah you guys are good at it but, I wouldn't think you'd want to get better."

"Our skills are just as much a part of us as your ability to control lightning." She said looking away for me. "Why can't we be proud of them? Why are we the only cabin that's supposed to be ashamed of what we can do?"

I had an answer to this, but I could think of no way to say it without sounding cruel. The truth was yes, the Hermes kids were all talented. They were quick, agile, smart, and athletic able to get in and out of places before you even knew they were there, but the problem was how they used it. Thanks to their father, they were all impulsive troublemakers and thieves and Thea was probably the worst of them all.

I couldn't say this though. She already looked down, which was unusual for her. I could hardly remember a time where she wasn't laughing and I didn't like seeing her like this.

"Well," I said. "It was a cool idea I'll give you that."

There really didn't seem to be any harm in what they were doing. I mean, I wouldn't exactly say it wasn't against the rules, but did Chiron punishing her really seem fair?

"Thanks." She said managing half a smile then glancing at the clock on the wall. "But we should probably start the lesson. Where's the last place you left off?"

"Verbs." I said handing her a stack of sheets which she then starting to pass out the forms.

She stopped to talk to her brother, the youngest and newest edition to the class. I remembered seeing him last night petrified, looking as if he were about to cry but his face lit up when he saw her, and he started talking rapidly about his first day.

She grinned, ruffled his hair, then continued the pass out the worksheets but I kept my eyes on the boy who'd started a conversation with a girl from the Persephone cabin who was sitting next to him. She had honey colored hair that fell in long ringlets and amber eyes that were looking at him with interest. The shy kid that had been terrified to talk to anyone, was now laughing with a new friend in less than twenty four hours. Compared to last night, he was almost unrecognizable.

It was only when he leaned over to see something his seat mate had drawn in her notebook that I saw the bronze dagger that was holstered on his belt. It was the dagger that Thea had stolen his morning.

Maybe she did have a reason after all.

I glanced at Thea, going through all the things I could remember her being in trouble for. Well, the game, which had helped her siblings develop their powers without getting in trouble, and which she took total responsibility for even the whole cabin had been doing it, the dagger, to cheer her little brother up, the ink bomb, to get back at the Ares cabin for bullying some of the younger campers, even the time she'd gotten caught putting itching powder on the towels in the Aphrodite cabin was because they'd been teasing one of her little sisters.

In fact, I couldn't think of a single time Thea had gotten in trouble for something that she wasn't doing for someone else.

"You ready?" she asked.

She'd finished passing out the work sheets and had made her way back to the board and was looking at me curiously.

"Yeah." I said and she started writing sentences on the board in Greek.

Maybe Thea's troublemaking wasn't as bad as everyone made it seem. Maybe, she was just taking care of people best way she knew how. I didn't get much time to think about this however, as the next hour was spent walking between desks helping with grammar tables, sentence structures, and reminding Thea that hypothetical debates about monster fights weren't relevant to language lessons.

"I don't care how many books you've read!" I said in exasperation as we walked out of the Big House. The lesson was over and we'd been the last ones to leave. "I've fought the Minotaur, he's not twenty feet tall and he doesn't breathe fire!"

"But-" she started but I cut her off.

"And there's no way it would beat Cerberus in a fight. I've seen Cerberus. He's massive. He'd use it as a chewtoy."

"Alright." She said stubbornly. "But what if it _could_ breathe fire."

"But it doesn't."

"But what if it could." She said seeming strangely excited at the thought. "That's a whole different scenario."

"The things that you choose to think about confuse me." I said glancing down at her.

"Well I think you suffer from a distinct lack of imagination."

"Yeah well you're in camp imagining terrifying monsters, I'm out there fighting them." I said flatly. "And I'm telling you if it was the Minotaur vs. Cerberus, Cerberus would win."

"Alright." She said raising her hands in surrender. "But I still think it would be cool if he could breathe fire."

"You're strange. I hope you know that."

"Believe me," she said with a laugh. "I've been made aware."

I didn't know why but I smiled. I wasn't sure why I even got pulled into this debate in the first place, it was nonsensical, unrealistic, and it didn't serve any sort a purpose, but then again, Thea didn't take anything seriously. Maybe that's why she had more fun than me.

"So what is Cerberus like?" she asked curiously as we passed the volley ball courts.

"Big."

"Whoa there Adam," she said sarcastically. "Don't over load me with information."

"What do you want me to say Thea?" I asked a little annoyed.

"Nothing." She said shrugging and putting her hands in her pockets. "I was just curious. Guess you don't want to talk about underworld?"

"Not really." I muttered. I didn't like talking about all the things I'd had to do on missions. I preferred not to think about them while I was in camp, it was the one place I could sort of get away from it.

"Alright I get it." she said quietly looking ahead of her with an expression that was hard to place. "But you should talk to someone about it."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because holding big stuff in like that, it's gets to you."

"How would you know?" I asked skeptically. "You've never been on a mission."

She didn't answer, which was strange.

"You ok?" I asked looking down at her but again she didn't answer, her expression completely shut down. I quickly found out why.

"Well what do we have here?" a sickly sweet voice asked and a pang of fear went through me.

I looked up to see Crystal walking from the direction of the arts and crafts area. She looked at me expectantly, her expression cold as ice.

"I thought the thieves guild was supposed to be in the stables this morning."

"Chiron assigned her to language lessons this morning." I said quickly and her eyes flashed, always a danger sign.

"Oh yeah," she said looking at Thea. "I heard you were in trouble for starting some sort of crime ring. What's wrong Thea?" she asked with mock concern. "Stealing just isn't the thrill it used to be? Decided to try your hand as a crime lord?" she smirked. "Or maybe you thought you'd steal my boyfriend?"

"Crystal," I started warningly but Thea cut me off.

"I'll see you around Adam." She said without emotion.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Crystal said nastily as Thea started to walk away. "And keep those sticky fingers in your pockets while you're at it."

Thea didn't respond, she didn't even look back.

"Well," Crystal said looking satisfied. "Now that we're alone."

She took my hand but I pulled away from her anger burning through me.

"What was that for?"

"What?" she asked her eyes going wide in surprise.

"Why are you so mean to her?" I asked glaring at her. "It wasn't her fault we were assigned to the same lesson this morning. She didn't even want to be there."

"I can't believe you of all people are defending her." She said sounding just as angry. "Their whole cabin is full of troublemakers, and she's the worst of all of them. You know what she's like!"

"That doesn't mean you get to treat her like that."

"You're seriously defending her? You? Defending a thief?" she asked incredulously. "What's wrong with you?"

I hesitated.

"That girl is nothing but trouble, you know she is. I don't understand why you'd even want to talk to her let alone be around her." She said nastily. "She's a menace, all she does is cause chaos, she does whatever she wants no matter what rules she's breaking. She never listens to anyone, and what's worse is she encourages other people to cause trouble too. What on earth could you possibly like about her or defend? What good does she do anyone here?"

I didn't answer, mainly because I was confused. I couldn't explain why I'd got so angry moments ago, or why I was struggling to remember why now.

I glanced at Thea's retreating figure, trying to understand, but Crystal continued and I looked away.

"How do you think your father would feel if he saw you defending someone like her?" she asked her eyes meeting mine. "He's the King of Olympus, the God of justice and law. I thought that was important to you."

"It is." I said angrily. How could she question that?

"Then stay away from her." She said.

My head was swimming now, trying to figure out who I was angry at and what I wanted.

"She's not good for you." She said quietly stepping closer her eyes meeting mine. "Not like me."

"I guess you're right." I said quietly and she smiled.

"I always am." She said sweetly then standing on her toes and kissing me.

My brain still felt clouded but I allowed her to pull me closer and my brain shut off. I didn't want to think about Thea. She might be easy to talk to, but thinking about her when she was gone was complicated. I didn't want complicated.

I broke apart from Crystal and she gave me a dazzling smile.

"C'mon." she said taking my hand and starting to walk.

"Where are we going?"

"A couple of my sisters are going to watch some boys play basketball, I figured my boyfriend could show them how it's done."

"Alright." I said.

My mind was starting to clear and while I wanted to go with her, I couldn't help it, I looked back over my shoulder but it was too late, Thea had vanished.


	7. Chapter 7

Tpov

"So you had to spend the whole lesson with him?" Tess asked with interest as we each walked a basket of strawberries to the truck at the edge of the fields.

"Yep." I said inspecting one of the juicier ones and taking a bite out of it.

"How was that?"

I shrugged.

"You're a wealth of detail." She said sarcastically.

"I don't really know what you want me to tell you." I said putting the basket on the tail gate and picking up an empty one as she did the same. "Nothing really happened, we just did the lesson plan."

"Well that's boring!" she insisted as we made our way back out to the fields.

One of the nice things about strawberry picking as an activity was that it was one of the few times during the day you could actually have a semi private conversation. In other activities, you were generally cooped up with other campers who could hear what you were speaking about but in the fields people tended to break up into groups with their friends and spread out.

"Do you want me to lie?" I asked her raising an eyebrow.

"No." she said as we stepped between the rows of leafy plants. "But I expect you to use your incredible powers of charm and persuasion to do some decent flirting."

"He has a girlfriend." I said in exasperation.

"A horrible girlfriend." She muttered.

"She's still his girlfriend." I pointed out bending down to investigate a likely looking strawberry. "And she hates me."

"So what?"

"So why would I go looking for trouble?" I asked grabbing the fruit and straightening up to see her looking at me with a strange expression right. "What?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"Very funny." I said rolling my eyes.

"I'm serious." She said. "Why do you care what Crystal thinks?"

"I don't."

"Then why-"

"Because he's never going to break up with her." I said cutting her off. "Every time they 'take a break' they always end up back together. And besides, he's the most popular person in camp. What would he want with me?"

She frowned, looking as if she wanted to say something but nothing came out.

"I'm not going to try and force something I know isn't going to happen. All it's going to do is make his life more difficult and Crystal hate me more."

"But if you just-"

"We've been over this a hundred times Tess," I said tiredly looking for more fruit. "Adam is with Crystal, and they're going to stay together. Can we just move on?"

"It's just... I don't know what he sees in her." She complained.

"She's beautiful."

"So? She's a bully. The Ares brothers might have thrown those kids in the lake, but we all know it was her idea."

"Yeah. Well she doesn't exactly show him that side of her."

"So you're just going to put up with that?"

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked looking at her. "She's his girlfriend. I'm not even his friend. Even if they did break up nothing would change."

"So you're just going to ignore it?"

"Yep."

"But that's so not like you." She said in frustration. "You never give up with out a fight."

"It's not a fight." I said in flatly. "If this were a fight, I might actually have a chance, but I don't. Adam is a hero ok? Guys like him, they don't date girls like me. They date pretty, popular, princess types. Girls like Crystal. It's how it's always been." I sighed. "He's out of my league. It's that simple."

"So, you're just not even going to try?"

"No."

"You're just going to give up?"

"Yes. I think I've made that clear."

"But why?"

"Because Adam has made it clear the kind of person he is and what he wants. And it isn't me."

A moment of silence passed, leaving the depressing sentence hanging between us.

"Well I wish I could change your mind." She said eventually.

I didn't respond and we didn't talk for a couple of minutes.

"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" she asked curiously tossing a few berries into her basket and looking at me curiously. "It's coming up soon."

I grinned.

"Are you asking what I want to do or what I think you'd be willing to do."

"Oh gods." She muttered. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing too crazy." I said honestly. "There's a venue not that far from camp where a couple of bands are playing that night."

"So you want to leave camp?" she asked frowning.

"Yeah. You want to come with?"

"I'll think about it." she said.

"Which means no." I said with a smirk.

"It means I'll think about it." she said grinning back.

We took our final batch of strawberries to the pick up truck and made our way back to the main part of camp discussing the bands that would be at the venue and if it would be worth getting caught sneaking out of camp.

"See it's not as bad for you though." I pointed out. "You go home and go back to school after break is over. I've been stuck here for years."

"When is the last time you left?" she asked curiously.

"Well technically last weekend." I said. "The Ares boys needed adult beverages for their shindig on their beach, but before that months."

"That's crazy." She said shaking her head. "How do you not get bored?"

"Why do you think I'm always finding new ways to amuse myself?" I asked with a grin.

"Yeah, good point." She said with a laugh. "Hey I gotta go though. I promised Andrew I'd meet him in the forge in five minutes. I'll see you later alright?"

"Alright." I said waving her off and started making her way towards the forge while I made my way to the cabins, wondering what I should do during free time.

I ended up with several other people, watching the basketball tournament the Apollo boys had started as well as a few other boys including some of my broters and Adam. I didn't sit with the other campers, Crystal and a few of her sisters were watching and I'd decided it was best to avoid them, but instead sat on the other side of the court looking through my journal.

"What are you doing?" Tess asked sitting next to me after several games had passed. Two teams were left and the championship match was about to be played just as free time was almost over. It was Kyle, Adam, and a few of the Apollo brothers vs. Austin, a few of my other brothers, and a boy from Tess's cabin.

"Window shopping." I said grinning looking over at the boys thoroughly enjoying the fact that in the teams of shirts vs skin, Adam had been skins.

"You know you could talk to him." She pointed out as the boys milled around waiting for the game to get set up.

"I'm quite happy where I am." I said as Adam stretched and she rolled her eyes.

"Well besides ogling Kall." She said looking down at the notebook. "What are you doing?"

"Securing my financial future." I said and she glanced down at the columns of numbers and list of names.

"You're still running bets on the capture the flag games?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "After Chiron caught on to your pickpocketing game this morning?"

"Girls gotta make money some how." I said shrugging and going back to calculating odds.

"You've been doing it for years." She said flatly. "I think you're fine."

"You want to place any bets?" I asked grinning.

"You think after years of watching people lose to you I'm that stupid?" she asked raising an eyebrow and I laughed.

"Who knows? You might get lucky."

"I think I'll pass," she said amused and chart. "Holy Hades, how much do people owe you?"

"Enough." I said grinning but before I could elaborate, there was a heavy 'thud' and someone swore loudly.

"Bruce!" Tess said her eyes going wide and scrambling to her feet, as we, and several other people jogged towards the court. Her brother was groaning on the ground clutching at his ankle.

"He's definitely sprained it." Kyle said inspecting the rapidly swelling injury, there were a few nods and murmurs of agreement from his brothers. "He should go to the infirmary."

"I'll take him." Tess offered as Austin helped Bruce to his feet then put his arm around Tess's shoulders as she looked at her brother. "You ok?"

He nodded and gave her a reply, but his voice was tight and together they made their way slowly towards the Big House.

"Well," Kyle said as people drifted off the court and back to the side lines leaving the players. "Now you're one short. Should we just call it a tie?"

"Thea can play with us." Austin said looking at me and my brothers nodded in agreement. "You guys cool with that?"

"Fine by me." Kyle said looking at Adam who shrugged, but the rest of the team didn't look too happy.

I was about to turn down the offer, thinking I should probably keep organizing my betting lists, as muttering broke out among the Apollo boys and the words. "She's a girl." Caught my attention.

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously.

"Shut up Trevor." Kyle said scowling. "Odds are you couldn't catch her anyways."

"Thea can hold her own." Austin agreed.

"Alright." Said the fair haired boy Kyle had glared at in surrender, but he still didn't look happy.

"Kick his ass." Austin said grinning at me as he tossed the ball to the Satyr that was officiating the game.

The boys set up for tip off and I was unsurprised when Adam won it, but I easily saw the direction where it was going and sprinted forward, snatching the ball from Trevor's outstretched fingertips.

"What the-" he said I laughed, winked at him and tossed the ball to Austin.

The game moved quickly, my brothers and I much faster than Kyle's team, but the Apollo boys sinking three pointers effortlessly. Adam, for his part, was mainly used for defense because of his size and I had to admit he was difficult to get around. My brothers had an easier time of it, they were able to push him off the ball a little but this case it actually did matter that I was a girl. The size difference made it impossible for me to push him off, I might have been quick, but running into him would have been about of effective as smacking into a brick wall.

The score stayed pretty even and while I was having fun, by the end of the match tempers between the more competitive players were running high. We'd agreed that the game would end at which ever team hit fifty points first. Both teams were at forty-eight and a fight had broken out over which player had touched the ball last before it had gone out.

"This is a little ridiculous don't you think?" I asked Austin as our brother Seth and Trevor argued, standing offensively close to each other as they shouted.

"You know how Seth is." Austin said with a sigh. Like me, it seemed as if he just wanted to keep playing.

"Guys, it's not that big a deal…" Kyle said rolling his eyes. He'd already retrieved the ball and was holding it at his hip.

"Back off man!" Seth shouted angrily.

"No you back off!" Trevor yelled back as Adam, who was apparently uninterested in the scuffle, walked passed Austin and I in the direction of the sidelines no doubt to talk to his girlfriend.

"That's it!" Trevor shouted furiously and shoved Seth.

Instantly the boys began to fight.

"Calm down!" Kyle shouted irritated as he and Austin tried to break up the fight.

I hovered for a moment, wondering if I could help or should just stay out of the way when Kyle managed to drag Seth off of Trevor but stumbled as Seth continued to struggle, and was launched into Adam.

Adam was thrown off his feet into me and we landed forcefully on the court.

"Dude." I groaned, trying to push him off, feeling as if I'd been crushed. "Get off me. You're heavy."

"Sorry." He muttered pushing himself to his hands and knees, but his eyes met mine and I felt my cheeks burn.

He hesitated for a second and I realized my hands were still on his chest.

People were laughing now, one of my brothers wolf whistled, and someone shouted.

"Get a room!"

"Sorry." He muttered again helping me up but not looking at me.

"It's whatever," I said also looking away, I could feel my brothers smirking at me as I walked back to them refusing to make eye contact.

"Aww Thea." Austin said in a babying voice as a bell rang through the camp signaling it was time to switch activities. "Are you embarrassed?"

"Shut up." I said trying to push his arm from around my shoulders but he kept them there.

My brothers continued to make fun of me as we made our way back to the cabin, where I saw four kids roaring with laughter in the living room.

"What's so funny?" Austin asked suspiciously and I saw that Dennis was sitting with Kevin, Jessica, and Jackson, who was holding his bow.

"Nothing." They all said grinning at him and he looked at me his eyes narrowed.

"Why do I have a feeling that whatever is going on, it's your fault?"

"I've no idea." I said innocently and he rolled his eyes before looking at our younger siblings and deliberated for a second.

"I don't want to know." He said shaking his head and walking towards his room with the other boys and I sat with the tweens.

"Your mission was a success I take it?" I asked pleased to see Dennis looking as if he'd had fun.

"Yeah." Jessica said cackling while tossing me Chiron's keys. "Dennis was awesome."

"Well glad to know your first thieving endeavor was a success." I said grinning at Dennis's wide smile. "Wasn't so bad was it?"

"No." he admitted as Kevin gave him a fist bump.

"Well once again I've lead an innocent soul down the path of corruption." I said amused. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Thea." They chorus but I was surprised when Dennis got to his feet and followed me out of the room.

"Thea?" he asked following me into my room where my sister Patty was reading a magazine on her bed. Like Jackson, he had red hair that was pulled back into a long braid but she had the family hazel eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" I asked sitting on my bed.

He hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain but then said.

"Could you teach me how to pick locks?"

"Sure," I said a little surprised he was asking and he smiled.

"Thanks."

"We could get started now if you want." I said.

"I can't." he said shaking his hand. "We're all supposed to meet at the arts and craft building to write our letters home." He gave me a quizzical look. "Aren't you coming?"

"Nope." I said leaning back on my bed.

"Why not?" he asked sounding a little disappointed.

"Haven't got anyone to write to." I said looking up at the ceiling refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Yeah, I heard about your mom." He said quietly. "Is there really no one else?"

"I've got an aunt." I said frowning. "But we don't really get along."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he and Patty exchange an awkward glance.

"Well, I guess you could show me the basics during letter writing." He said and I sat up.

"Sounds good." I said sliding off my bed and unlocking my trunk. I pulled out one of the easier locks as well as my pick kit and grinned at Dennis. "Ready?"

"Yeah let's go." He said smiling.

"Still having a good first day?" I asked as we stepped out of the cabin and making our way with everyone else to the arts and craft area.

"Yeah." He said. "I met a really nice girl from the Persephone cabin. We're gonna try and get our shifts in the strawberry fields lined up tomorrow. Jess and Kevin promised that they and Jackson would teach me how to shoot his bow."

"Sounds like a fun time." I said as we stepped into the room to see the tables were already crowded with people writing letters and decorating them with the various supplies. Tess waved at me brightly as she decorated her letter with various paper gears which she knew her little sister Lilah liked.

"We can sit with her if you want." He said spotting Tess and looking up at me.

"Alright." I said and we made our way to Tess who was sitting on her own.

"Hey." She said grinning as Dennis and I sat opposite her. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I asked and her grin widened.

"That something happened between you and Adam after I left the basketball court." She said slyly. "Everyone's talking about it."

"Nothing happened." I said shaking my head painfully aware that Dennis was looking at me curiously. "He just sort of fell on top of me."

"Sexy." She said smirking. "Dennis cover your innocent ears."

"You're not that much older than me." He said scowling.

"It wasn't anything. Just an accident."

"I dunno." Tess said still grinning. "Crystal looks pretty angry."

Dennis and I both glanced over at Crystal who was sitting with Adam and Kyle, she did look rather unhappy.

"Well it doesn't really matter." I said putting the lock on the table and looking at Dennis as he was passed a letter from his mother and sisters. Several pictures fell out and he smiled looking at his family. "You ready?"

"Yeah." He said after scanning the letter. "What do I do?"

"Just do what feels natural." I said laying the tools on the table in front of him while Tess looked at us with interest. "Which ones do you think you should use?"

He glanced at the lock, then among the different tools that ranged from hook to rake picks and he eventually settled on one.

"Good." I said impressed to see he'd picked the correct tool for the job.

"Is it true you can do it without out these?" he asked me curiously inspecting the tool.

I grinned, held the padlock on my index finger and after a moment's concentration, it fell open.

"Whoa." He said his eyes going wide and Tess grinned.

"It's still better to learn with the tools though." I said amused at his expression. "The better you are with them, the easier unlocking them with your mind is. And this is a relatively easy lock."

"Alright." He said with a look of determination. "I'm ready."

"Ok the first thing you're going to do is put the tension wrench in the lock."

Apov

"You've got to admire her nerve." Kyle said amused glancing at Thea who was blatantly teaching Dennis how to pick locks about five feet from Chiron who was over seeing the letter writing and glaring at her. "She really doesn't care what anyone thinks does she?"

"She'd have to not." Crystal said sourly. "Otherwise why would she be here? Everyone hates her."

We ignored her knowing at this point just not to engage. She'd been in a bad mood since the basketball game and while we'd avoided a fight, it had only been accomplished by me doing one thing. Keeping my mouth shut.

"Thanks." Kyle said taking a stack of letters handed to him by Aspen and looking through them. "These are for you." He said handing Crystal a letter from her father and another I couldn't think who it would be from. He kept a couple that looked like they were from his mother and a couple of mortal friends. "Hey, you got one." He said in surprise handing me an envelope.

I glanced at it, then toss it on the table.

"You're not going to read it?" he asked in surprise.

"I know what my mom's gonna say." I said flatly.

"What?"

"She's upset that he didn't go to a model U.N. program in London he was accepted into this summer instead of going to camp." Crystal said scanning the second letter Kyle handed her. "She sent me one too." She explained showing us the paper and I recognized my mother's stationary.

"What else does she want?" I asked suspiciously, the letter looked too long to be just about that.

"Just wanted telling me she got me a dress for your cousin's wedding in January."

"Of course she did." I muttered darkly and while Crystal grinned, Kyle frowned.

"Seems a bit soon."

"My mom likes to be prepaired."

"So your dad's the God of law and justice, and your mom is a control freak." He said with a smirk. "Teen angst just didn't stand a chance against you did it?"

"Daisy likes to say I was born in my thirties."

At the mention of my sister, Crystal frowned but Kyle grinned.

"Speaking of teen angst. She still pretending to be vegan?"

"Only when we have company over and we serve meat." I said and he laughed.

"Classic." He muttered amused but then looked at me with interest. "So why didn't you go? London probably would have been pretty cool."

"He wanted to spend the summer with me." Crystal said wrapping an arm around mine and while this wasn't exactly the truth I let her think it. "Though if you'd asked she'd probably let me come with you. I know my dad wouldn't have cared."

Again I said nothing, mainly because Crystal had very little do with decision and I knew she wouldn't like it if I said so. The truth was, I just didn't want to go. I knew it was supposed to be an awesome opportunity, but honestly it sounded like two weeks of long boring meetings with people I wouldn't like and if Crystal did come, I didn't think I could take living with her for that long. As horrible as it sounded, I liked that our relationship was long distance during the year. After a summer with her I needed a break. At least here at camp I had activities to use as excuses to get away from her when she was being difficult. If we'd both been in London though…

"Well you'd better write something back." Kyle said looking at the letter from my mother that was resting between us on the table. "Because if you don't you know she's going to come charging up to camp."

"Mortals can't get through the boundary." I said comfortably.

"Have you met your mother?" Kyle asked indignantly while Crystal nodded and muttered. "She'd find a way."

"Yeah you're probably right."

I picked up the letter and scanned it seeing exactly what I expected to see.

I grabbed a piece of paper from the center of the table as well as a pen, trying to think of anything I wanted to write home about. Nothing came to mind.

My eyes drifted around the room and landed on Thea. She wasn't writing a letter either and I remembered a conversation years ago on my first night at camp, staring at the stars on top of the Hermes cabin before I'd been claimed. Her telling me about the months of hospital visits knowing in her heart that no matter what the doctors tried it wouldn't matter.

"Oh, make sure you tell her my Dad said he's going to be in DC in a few weeks." Crystal said brightly. "She said she wanted to meet with him."

"Right." I said a little distracted as Thea laughed and gave Dennis as high five as he opened the lock.

She noticed.

"You know you have to feel sorry for her." She said looking at Thea, but not sounding very sorry at all. "No one wants her."

"Why are you so mean?" Kyle asked glaring at Crystal, apparently unable to tolerate her nastiness anymore today.

"Excuse me?" she snarled.

"You know you could be a little compassionate." He said flatly. I knew why he was upset. His mother had also dealt with cancer but she'd beat it. "Instead of acting like a total ice queen."

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she asked glaring up at me.

"You could be nicer to her." I muttered refusing to make eye contact with either of them and returning to my letter.

She made an irritated noise and stood.

"I'm going to sit with my sisters." She said furiously.

"You do that." Kyle said sounding just as annoyed and after making a huffing sounds she stormed over to a table that was covered in glitter and pink paper.

"Adam, you must be a saint." He said glaring after her. "Because I don't know how you put up with her."

"You didn't have to call her an ice queen." I pointed out.

"She's acting like one."

"Yeah, but now I'm the one who has to deal with it."

"I don't know why you do." He said sourly. "What do you even like about her?"

I didn't answer, mainly because I didn't have one. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I liked about Crystal. Objectively, I couldn't think of many things I liked about her, but my brain didn't seem to work right around her. Every time she seemed to go too far, she'd come around and smile at me and suddenly I'd forgive her.

"Doesn't make sense man." He said shaking his head.


	8. Chapter 8

Tpov

The next two days passed rather uneventfully. I was still being forced to teach language lessons with Adam and while I wasn't exactly complaining about, I knew he was suffering for it. In those passed two days his relationship with Crystal had been as rocky as ever. One minute they were yelling each other, the next kissing in full view of the entire camp. I tried to ignore the excitement that mounted in me each time I knew I was going to see him but I wasn't doing a very good job of it. I'd told myself I wasn't going to talk to him as much as I could help, but I couldn't help myself.

I decided it was probably best just skip this morning's lesson and leave him alone. I didn't care if Chiron yelled at me, maybe if I got yelled at Adam could get a break for once.

I was just thinking about going to the Big House and spending free time in my favorite spot or stealing a Pegasus and going for a joy ride around the sound, when I heard a familiar voice from behind the showers.

"Leave her alone!"

"Dennis?" I asked more to myself than anyone as I changed my course to follow the voice. It was shaking as if he were both angry and scared.

Someone laughed and there was a yelp of pain.

I started to run.

I made it just in time.

I rounded the corner to the bathrooms to see Crystal and Emmett, one of the younger Ares brothers, who was holding his battle axe in a threatening manner, and Dennis who was getting to his feet, holding up his stolen dagger, standing protectively in front of his friend Hannah who had tears in her eyes.

"You know this would be so much easier if you just gave us the necklace. It really is too pretty for a little flower girl anyways." Crystal said nastily. "Or should I have Emmett give you a little more convincing."

Emmett laughed nastily and Dennis winced as he looked at Emmett's axe. His lip was bleeding and his arms were shaking, but he didn't move.

"Aw, isn't that cute." Crystal cooed sarcastically. "He thinks he can protect her. Emmett, why don't you show him what we do to campers who don't do what they're told?"

"I don't do what I'm told." I said crossing my arms over my chest and almost laughing at the stunned looks on Crystal's and Emmett's faces when they turned and spotted me. I pulled off my necklace, feeling it transform into a sword. I smiled. "You gonna show me?"

Crystal recovered first.

"Well if it isn't the thief in shining armor." She said with a sneer.

"I'm not the one trying to mug a thirteen-year-old." I pointed out.

"Please." She said rolling her eyes and regaining her composure. "It's not stealing if she chooses gives it to me. She was about to but then this twerp showed up." She said gesturing towards Dennis. "And thought he'd act the hero."

"Threatening a kid with an axe doesn't seem like much of a choice to me." I said coldly.

"Well it doesn't matter does it?" she asked glaring at me. "No one cares what you think anyways."

"Maybe." I said shrugging. "But how do you think Adam would react if he knew you were the one who convinced Derek and his brothers to attack those new campers and leave them stranded in the lake. Think he'd care about that?"

Her eyes went wide.

"How did you-"

"I hear things."

"He wouldn't believe you." She said her eyes narrowing, but I could hear the hesitation in her tone.

"You think so?" I asked delicately. "Do you really think anyone would be that surprised?"

She hesitated.

"You wouldn't tell him." She said her eyes narrowing. "You don't have the guts."

"What could you possibly do to me?" I asked her and her eyes flashed, but she didn't speak. "Leave them alone." I said flatly and motion for them to walk away with my sword.

She gave me a cold, appraising look.

"C'mon Emmett." She said eventually. "We've got better things to do."

"I'm sure you do." I said sarcastically not taking my eyes off them until they were passed the cabins and turning back to Dennis.

"You alright?" I asked as Hannah pulled a pack of tissues out of her pocket and helping Dennis wipe the blood from his lip.

"Yeah." He said darkly. "Thanks for the help."

"Yeah, thanks." Hannah said looking at me curiously.

"What?" I asked and she shook her head and quickly looked away.

"Nothing I just, you're different than what I expected. The way people talk about you…"

She let the sentence fade apparently embarrassed and I shrugged.

"Why was she bothering you anyways?"

"She was trying to take Hannah's necklace." Dennis said and I glanced at the pretty gold pendant that hung on the chain around Hannah's neck. It was shaped in the form of a swan and was studded with diamonds.

"It was my grandma's." She said sadly. "But Crystal said it was far too pretty to be worn someone as plain as me."

"Don't listen to her." Dennis said putting his arm around his friend. "You're really pretty."

"You are." I agreed and she smiled.

"Thanks." She said blushing and looking up at Dennis. "Hey I've got to go. I'm supposed to be at the climbing wall. I'll see you later ok?"

"Ok."

She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you." She said and he turned red as a beet as she walked away.

"Impressive." I said looking down at him amused. "You've been at camp less than a week and you're already pulling girls."

"Am not!" he said indignantly.

"So you don't like her?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"We're just friends."

"Sure." I said grinning. "That's why you were about to get your ass kicked by a sixteen-year-old."

"I thought you of all people would understand." He said glaring at the ground.

"What does that mean?"

"I've heard all the stories." He said. "You don't let those guys push anyone around."

"That doesn't mean you should get into a fight."

"You said we were supposed to learn to defend ourselves at camp." He said frowning. "Doesn't that mean learning to fight?"

"You're here to learn how to survive." I said giving him a shrewd look. "Rule number one of being a demigod, don't go picking fights you can't win."

"I thought you said we had powers that could stump any demigod.".

"We do." I said. "But you've only just got here. You need to train up a little bit. And in our cabin we're also smart." I said said amused. "It's smarter to avoid a fight. Especially if the person is stronger than you and out weighs you by 80 pounds. No matter how pretty the girl you're trying to impress is."

"Well," he said scratching the back of his head awkwardly and glancing at Hannah's retreating figure again. "I guess it's lucky I have you. I really thought Emmett was going to hurt me."

"Yeah, well if any of them bother you again you know where to find me."

"Thanks Thea."

I nodded and together we started walking back to the cabin together.

"Thea?" he asked suddenly and I looked down at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"That depends." I said shrugging. "What is it?"

"It's just." He said frowning as if he couldn't quite figure out how to put what he wanted to say into words. "Why do people outside our cabin not like you? I don't get it. You're like one of the nicest older campers here, but the only person who hangs out with you is Tess."

"There's a lot of answers to that question." I said vaguely letting my mind wander.

"It's because of Crystal isn't it?" he asked shrewdly. "I hear her talk about you you know. It's like she wants the whole camp to hate you. Do you know why?"

I shrugged.

"Is it because of her boyfriend?"

"What does Adam have to do with this?" I asked frowning.

"I dunno." He said putting his hands in his pockets and glancing up at me uncertainly. "I just figured she might be jealous."

"Of what?" I asked. What on earth could Miss blonde and beautiful be jealous of about me?

"How well you and Adam get along." He said as if this were obvious. "I noticed he doesn't talk to a lot of people around camp, but he seems to like talking to you. I can tell in our lessons. Even if you weren't there this morning, he kept looking the door. I think he was wondering if you were going to show up."

I looked ahead of me, not trusting myself to answer this.

"Do you like him?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

"I think we're done with the personal questions Dennis."

"Alright." He said sounding a little disappointed and together we stepped into the cabin.

"See if you can find Jess, she can give you something to fix your lip." I said and he nodded.

"I'll see you around."

"See ya."

We separated and I went to the girls' bunk room, deciding now that I was here to spend free time catching up on a book I'd started months ago.

I grabbed the book from my trunk and flopped on my bunk. As I opened it something, something small and square fell out from between the pages.

Curious, I picked it up only to feel a shock go through me.

It was a photo, one that had been taken years ago just a few weeks after he'd first come to camp. I was standing next to Adam, both of us dressed in full armor, grinning with his arm around my shoulders.

This was after our first game of capture the flag together, before he'd been sent on all his missions and quests, and the only time we'd ever been on the same team.

I frowned as I studied the picture.

Even at fifteen he looked like a hero. Where I was awkwardly skinny and gangly, he looked pretty much the same. He a few inches shorter and his muscles perhaps a little less defined, but still handsome with the confidence of a natural born leader.

It wasn't long after this picture he'd started gaining traction as a legend. Within months he was the camp's go to hero, he was well liked and popular, and then Crystal turned up at camp effectively hammering the last nail in the coffin of any chance Adam and I had at being friends.

I sighed and turned the picture over not wanting to look at it anymore. It must have wormed its way between the pages the last time I'd put it in the trunk.

"Back you go." I said sliding off the bed and onto my feet, determined to put the picture away.

I knelt next to the trunk, unlocking it with the key on my camp necklace and the photo inside.

I hesitated, my eyes landing on the scroll and the silver ribbon which seemed ever present in the back of my mind these days.

"What have I got to lose?" I asked quietly reaching back into the trunk and grabbing the scroll.

I shut the trunk and got back to my feet, placing the scroll in my back pocket as I walked towards the front door of the cabin lost in thought.

I stepped outside, wincing from the sudden transition into bright sunlight and I heard my name being called.

"Hey! Thea!"

I turned to see several of my siblings lined up next to each other, apparently waiting for something, and at the very end was Jackson. He was the one who'd spoken.

"We're racing to the lake, winner gets a drachma from all the losers. You in?"

"I'm not going to take your money." I said with a laugh which earned me several scowls.

"One of us might win you know." Jessica said stubbornly from the middle of the line.

"Your optimism is admirable." I said grinning. "But how many of you actually wants to race against me?"

No one said anything.

"Yeah I thought so." I said amused. "Besides I've got stuff I've got to do."

"What is it?" Jackson asked curiously.

"That's my business." I said and while several of them exchanged confused looks, none of them asked what it meant.

"Alright." He said uncertainly. "Can you at least count us off?"

"Go."

He looked confused.

"What?" he asked but then swore and tore after the rest of my siblings who'd already started.

I smiled watching them run for a moment, remembering when I was younger taking part in these races, hoping to make enough to buy candy off of the part time campers who brought things from the mortal world.

Life was easier then, when my biggest concern was if I could get my hands on a Twix bar whether I'd paid for it or not. But we all had to grow up.

Suddenly, the scroll in my pocket felt heavier.

Well, maybe I didn't.

I turned away from the shrinking figures of my brothers and sisters and made my way to the armory. I'd need a bow for this. Gryphons were fast, even faster than I was, and they could fly.


	9. Chapter 9

Apov

I didn't see much of Thea over the next couple of days. Part of me wondered what she was up too, but I couldn't talk to her about it. Anytime Crystal saw me anywhere near her she'd lose it and between dealing with her and being busy with camp activities, I didn't have time for much else. Today had been just as busy as the rest. I led a few lessons in the arena in close combat and sword skills, met with Kyle and discussed some battle plans for this week's game of capture the flag, and let Crystal drag me to the crafts building where she and her sisters were working on clothes for a fashion show they were planning at the end of the summer. It wasn't exactly what I would call fun, but it kept her happy and being surrounded by pretty girls wasn't the worst problem in the world to have.

"Why do you have glitter on your shirt?" Kyle asked raising an eyebrow as I tried in vain to brush the wretched pink sparkles off of me. He was supposed to be helping me with the last lesson in the Arena before dinner.

"Crystal forced me into fashion class." I said and he smirked.

"Well you obviously didn't learn much. Pink and orange totally clash."

"Shut up." I said irritated as we started making our way towards the arena. "I'm just glad to be out of there."

"Yeah, being in constant proximity to all of the Aphrodite daughters must be such a nightmare. I feel so sorry for you Adam." He said with so much sarcasm not even a five-year-old could miss it. "How do you stand it?"

"You know it's not as much fun as you think."

"Oh really?" he asked with an expression that clearly said 'I don't believe you.'

"Really." I said flatly. "They're always talking in French and giggling about things that aren't funny and talking about designers I've never even heard of."

"What would you rather girls talk about?" he asked.

"I dunno." I said shrugging. "Something interesting."

"Like what?"

"I dunno," I repeated trying to think back to when the last time I was actually interested in the topic I was discussing with a girl. I landed on the conversation I had with Thea a few days ago. "Monsters."

"Monsters?" he asked trying and failing to conceal a laugh.

"It's better than purses and shoes." I said darkly. "Why? Have you got a better suggestion?"

"Ashley and I talk about video games a lot." He said shrugging. "But you know, you could, and this is radical thinking here, just talk to them like they're regular people." He said sarcastically. "Why do you have to be limited to a couple of categories? Why can't you just talk?"

"Yeah, well usually when I just talk I get in trouble." I muttered.

It felt like whenever I said exactly what I was thinking around Crystal she either wasn't interested or it would just make her mad. Lately it felt like whenever we were together I had to watch what I said, it had gotten to the point where most of them time I just didn't say things. It was easier that way.

"Do you ever think you might want to date someone a little less," he hesitated as if he didn't want to say what he was really thinking.

"Less what?"

"Less high maintenance." He said carefully. "I mean, don't get me wrong. She's gorgeous, but don't you ever think she's a little much sometimes? I mean there are plenty of pretty girls, who are, you know, sane."

I probably should have been insulted. He'd basically just called my girlfriend crazy but I found I didn't care. Maybe because part of me secretly agreed with him.

"I'm just saying man." He said with a shrug. "Plenty of good looking fish in the sea, maybe it's time you went for a little swim."

"That's gotta be the corniest thing you've ever said."

"Make fun of me all you want," he said sanctimoniously. "But I actually enjoy the time I spend the time I spent with the girl I like."

"I don't not like being around Crystal."

"Yeah, but you don't go out of your way to be around her either." He pointed out.

"I don't go out of my way to spend time with anyone." I said.

"Well that's not exactly true is it?" He muttered quietly, refusing to looking at me and instead staring dead ahead.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." He said shaking his head. "Forget I said anything."

I stared at him for a moment, uncertain if I wanted to pursue this line of conversation but quickly deciding that I didn't.

"Well he seems to be adjusting quite nicely." Kyle said smirking and nodding towards Dennis who was walking with Hannah, the girl he'd been sitting next to during their language lessons. She was talking animatedly about something and he laughed.

Kyle's smirk grew and he turned to me.

"Maybe he can give you tips."

"Shut up." I said scowling but almost immediately forgetting to be irritated when I spotted another Hermes camper. Kyle noticed.

"Speaking of girls." He said rolling his eyes.

"I'll meet you at the arena."

"Yeah, if you want Crystal not to be mad at you, this isn't the way." He warned.

"I'll just be a second." I said waving him off and making my way towards Thea.

She and her friend Tess were walking in the direction of the lake with their backs to me and it didn't occur to me that putting my hand on the shoulder of and startling someone like Thea might not be the best idea until I was dazed and slammed into the ground.

"Oh." She said relaxing from her attack stance and looking down at me. "Hey Sparky."

I wanted to tell her not to call me that, but I couldn't considering all the oxygen had been forced out of my lungs.

"I'm going to keep walking." Tess said quickly giving her friend a significant look.

"Alright, I'll see you there." She said waving to her best friend then offering her hand to help me, coughing, to my feet.

"Sorry." She said a little guiltily as I attempted to catch my breath. "Force of habit."

"I didn't even see you move." I said rubbing the back of my head which had connected with the ground with considerable force.

"I'm speedy like that." She said with a grin and I noticed a deep cut on her cheek that hadn't been there this morning.

"What happened to you?"

"I could ask the same thing." She said looking at my shirt and raising her eyebrow the exact way Kyle had. "You do realize orange and pink clashes, right?"

"Believe me," I said scowling at her amused expression. "If it were up to me I would have been nowhere near the glitter."

"Yeah were is Barbie anyways? I figured after finding out we had lessons together she'd be your shadow."

"She doesn't like going to the arena." I said. "But she's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Her smile faded slightly.

"I just wanted to apologize for what she said the other day, when she was angry about us working together. It wasn't fair."

"Yeah, well news flash Adam." She said crossing her arms over her chest and giving me a terse expression. "She's never exactly been fair to me. And I don't want you apologizing for her." She said forestalling what I was about to say. "You're only doing it because you know she won't."

"Still, I feel bad."

"I don't need people feeling sorry for me." She said shaking her head. "Trust me, it was nothing I haven't heard, and besides, it's not your job to clean up her mess."

"Well, anyways." I said awkwardly. "What happened to your face?"

"I had a slight disagreement with a creature of an aggressive and avian nature."

"What, like you got in a fight with an eagle or something?" I asked skeptically and she grinned.

"Something like that."

I knew she wasn't telling me the truth but couldn't see the point in trying to make her. There was a pause between us where neither of us seemed to know what to say.

"Is that all you wanted?" she asked eventually obviously wanting to go after Tess but trying not to be rude.

"Uh yeah," I said. It was weird, I'd run into her so much after I'd come back from my mission I'd sort of forgotten we really didn't talk that much. "What are you and Tess up to?"

She looked surprised I'd asked this.

"Just taking some of her little siblings out to the lake. They wanted to test some of their under water explosives but Chiron wanted them to have supervision."

"You count as supervision?" I asked in her skeptically. Who in their right mind would have agreed to that?

"Of course." She said confidently. "Aren't you always going on about how the older campers are supposed to take responsibility around camp? I'm almost seventeen. I'm one of the oldest campers here."

"Chiron really put you in charge of several small children?" I asked in flat disbelief. "You?"

"Well not exactly." She admitted. "Tess is in charge, but I am older than her so I'm sure Chiron won't mind me coming and exercising a little extra authority."

"Right." I said sarcastically. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"My thoughts exactly." She said grinning.

I glanced at my watch, I was already supposed to be at the arena.

"I gotta go." I said but not before giving her a final shrewd look. "Try not to blow up the lake."

"I promise nothing." She said with a laugh.

I turned and was unable to keep myself from grinning as I walked away. She might have been a terrible influence but least she knew what she was about. It didn't take me long to get to the arena, and when I reached it, I saw that Kyle was outside waiting for me.

"I'll just be a second." He said mocking my voice. "You took forever dude, do you know how late you are?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said rolling my eyes.

"What took you so long?"

"Nothing." I said honestly heading for the entrance while he followed.

"Right." He said sarcastically.

"Really."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Just talking." I said with a shrug.

"About what?"

But before I could answer, there was a massive 'BOOM!' that tore throughout the camp.

"What the-" Kyle said as several girls screamed.

We turned to see a huge jet of water spouting up from the direction of the lake and campers, depending on how brave they were, running either towards or from it.

I doubled over laughing as Kyle's eyes went wide.

"What. Is. That?"

I couldn't answer I was laughing too hard, but I didn't have to. Within a matter of seconds someone shouted.

"THEA!"

Chiron came running, or I guess galloping, from the strawberry fields and heading straight for the lake.

"Honestly, that girl!"

Still laughing, I walked into the arena.

"What is so funny?" Kyle asked giving me a strange look as we stepped through the doors and made our way to the center where a group of mid range aged campers were waiting, looking at us curiously, obviously wondering about the noise.

"Nothing." I said still chuckling.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I just didn't think she'd actually do it."


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews! They really mean a lot!

~ secrethalfblood

Tpov

"So, how long did Chiron yell at you yesterday?" Tess asked me with interest as we met for breakfast on Wednesday.

"The usual." I said shrugging. "I don't know what he's so mad at me for. It's not like I built the bombs."

"Yes, but you were the one who wired six of them together." She pointed out. "We were supposed to set them off one at a time."

"So I saved us some time." I said innocently. "Honestly, the way he was yelling at me you'd think I'd done something dangerous. What?" I asked when she looked at me incredulously.

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not." She said giving me a shrewd look.

"You'll never know." I said with a chuckle as we moved up the food line.

"Well anyways, what's your punishment?"

"He said no dessert for another two weeks."

"But you've still got a month left from the last time he took your dessert away."

"Yeah, that's why I stopped by the Iris cabin and liberated them of their junk food stash."

"Think they've noticed yet?"

I shrugged.

We reached the food table and she started piling fruit on her plate while I reached for the bacon.

"I hear the Apollo cabin is thinking about starting a volleyball tournament." She said as we made our way back to the benches. "Is that something you'd be interested in?"

"My father is the god of athletes." I said with a grin. "What do you think?"

"Alright good, some of my brothers and sisters were thinking about making a team, but we need someone with a little bit of height."

"Gee, I wonder why." I said resting my elbow on her like an arm rest and she pushed me off.

"Oh you're hilarious." She said sarcastically pushing me off.

"I like to think so."

"Yeah, well laugh your way to YOUR table." She said rolling her eyes.

"Alright. I'll see you later." I said amused.

Force once I was one of the first people in my cabin to make it to breakfast, so I picked a spot on my own at the edge of our table, thinking about what I could do to entertain myself today when someone took the seat next to mine.

"We need to talk." Austin said seriously.

"I didn't do it." I said automatically.

"I never said-" he then frowned. "What is it you think I think you did?"

"Nothing." I said quickly and he gave me a suspicious look before continuing.

"Whatever, this is more important."

"Is it?" I asked vaguely watching as Adam and Crystal walked into the pavilion their fingers laced together.

"Focus Reign." He said and I registered the use of my surname.

"Alright O'Brian." I said frowning at him.

"Care to explain?" he asked raising an eyebrow and holding up a brochure.

"Where did you get that?" I asked going cold.

"I found it in your bunk his morning during cabin inspection." He said darkly as I snatched it out of his hand and looked around making sure no one had seen it. "You're lucky it was me and not one of our siblings. They wouldn't have been so calm."

I looked at my half eaten omelet, afraid to make eye contact.

"Well?"

"Well what?" I asked chancing a glance at him.

"You know what."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked stuffing the crumpled pages in my pocket as Kevin and Jessica sat noisily on the other side of he table, talking excitedly about the upcoming game of capture the flag.

"I want you to explain." He said darkly.

"It's none of your business." I muttered.

"Of course it's my business!" he said angrily and I winced. "I'm your big brother. I'm SUPPOSED to stop you from doing stupid things, but I never thought you of all people…"

"Would what?" I asked harshly.

"Would just leave us like this." He said bitterly. "What are you thinking? Signing your life away..."

"What life?" I asked glaring at him.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?" I asked him incredulously. "I'm almost seventeen, I can't leave camp, I've got no where to go. I can't stay here forever, and I certainly don't belong in the mortal world. I've never even gone to high school, and even if I by some miracle managed to into one, how exactly do you think that would end up? I've been expelled from six schools already. I'd just end up back here." I sighed. "What happens when in a few years I'm too old to be here?"

"So that's your solution to the problem?" he asked angrily. "To never face it?"

"You got a better idea?" I asked him raising an eyebrow.

"But is this really the answer?" he asked quietly. "An eternity, Thea, she doesn't take that lightly and you're not brilliant with authority figures. She's not exactly known for being merciful, if you do or say something stupid…"

"I know." I said quietly.

"Have you told Chiron?"

"No."

"Have you told anyone?"

I shook my head.

"Not even Tess?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't decided." I said shaking my head.

He hesitated, waiting for a couple of people to pass behind us before he continued lowering his voice.

"How long do you have to decide?"

"The end of the summer." I said quietly.

"That's not a lot of time."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." I said sarcastically and it was his turn to sigh.

"I know I can't make this decision for you." He said looking at me sadly. "Just please, think about it carefully. I know you Thea, this isn't something you can't just decide to do on a whim."

"I know."

"You should tell Tess." He said standing. "She's your best friend, she'd want to know."

"Where are you going?" I asked noticing he hadn't eaten anything.

"I've got to talk to Chiron." He said. "One of the bunks in the boys' room broke last night and we need to get it fixed."

"Don't tell him." I said and he looked down at me sadly his eyes saying the things he couldn't bring himself to.

"Alright." He said eventually. "But you should make a decision soon. The gods don't like to be kept waiting."

"Yeah." I said quietly and I watched him walk to the front of the pavilion where the staff ate together.

Over the course of the meal my siblings got into a debate about Giants that involved lots of shouts, thrown food, and a curse being called down but I hardly registered the chaos. For once, when Chiron was called to break up the riot that our cabin was starting, I hadn't been involved.

Eventually, breakfast dismissed and I filed out with the rest of campers, but just as I stepped out of the pavilion, time seemed to slow down.

I didn't know how, but I turned just in time to see a hand reaching for me. Battle reflexes taking over, I ducked while grabbing the assailant's arm, thrust up so their shoulder dislocated and then pushed them against the wall of the pavilion.

There was a cry of pain and I recognized the boy to be one of Derek's brothers. Like Derek he was tall and built like bull dog, I thought his name was Keith.

"Now!" a voice shouted and I turned to see three massive Ares brothers charging towards me their weapons ready.

Several people shouted and scrambled to get out of the way as they sprinted in my direction.

I didn't have much time to think before they were on top of me, but I continued to duck and weave, easily avoiding their attempts to grab me until I spotted an opening and took my chance.

I kicked one in the chest knocking him into his brother, then, while the third was distracted, grabbed his sword. Jumping out of his reach as he tried to snatch it back I easily brought the bottom of the hilt on his arm and there was a sickening, 'SMACK!'

He howled in pain as his skin turned red from the contact with the heavy metal. He took a step back while the others picked themselves up off the ground looking shaken but ready to regroup. Just as they were about to charge again there was a loud clap of thunder and a strike of lightning blasted the ground between us forcing us to separate.

"What's going on out here?" A furious voice shouted and everyone who'd been watching turned to see Adam stepping out of the dining pavilion looking livid. His eyes landed on the bruised brothers then on me and understanding seemed to come over him. "There's no fighting outside the arena." He said annoyed. "You all should know better."

"Well what do you expect?" a nasty voice said and I spotted Crystal next to Adam, her arm wrapped around his. "It's not like sticky fingers follows the rules anyways."

"Drop the sword Thea." Adam said in a pacifying tone and I felt irritation flash through me. Did he really think this was my fault?

"Whatever," I said lightly, dropping the sword. "It wasn't a fair fight anyways." I looked at the brothers who were all glaring at me. "Next time if you want to actually give me a challenge, bring some more guys."

"You ok Thea?" Tess asked breaking through the crowd of campers as I walked back towards the cabins her eyes wide.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said honestly.

"What were they thinking?" she asked looking over her shoulder at the brothers who were all conversing looking half furious, half embarrassed.

At this I grinned.

"They were thinking there was no way they could lose four on one."


	11. Chapter 11

Apov

The crowd dispersed as Thea and her friend walked away from the pavilion, some people laughing, while others muttering anxiously.

"I knew this would happen." Kyle muttered stepping out of the crowd and standing next to Crystal. "I knew they were going to go after her."

"Yeah, well now we've got a bigger problem on our hands."

"What?" Crystal asked breaking her glare after Thea and looking up at me.

"You really think her brothers and sisters are going to take her being attacked lying down?" I asked flatly.

"What do you mean?"

"They're all extremely loyal to her." Kyle explained. "She's taken a lot of heat for them over the years and she's their champion in capture the flag. The Ares boys probably just stared a war between the cabins."

"She started it." Crystal pointed out.

"She played a prank." Kyle said frowning. "They actually tried to hurt her."

"Well I think she deserved it." she said stubbornly. He made an irritated noise but knew better than to say anything and she turned to me. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." I said honestly.

I wasn't exactly sure how, but over the passed few years I'd become something of an authority in camp. Maybe because I was the only person in my cabin so I wasn't very bias, or maybe just because I was biologically programmed to keep law and order, but most of the campers and councilors even often expected me to talk to or deal with troublemakers. Or maybe it was just because I had the ability to fry anyone who didn't listen to me. But that wouldn't work on Thea. She wasn't scared of me, and I wasn't even sure I could beat her in a fight. Not if I didn't want to risk killing her anyways.

"Really?" they asked in surprised.

"What?"

"Isn't this the kind of stuff you live for man?" Kyle asked.

"What exactly would you have me do?" I asked raising an eyebrow and when neither of them answered I continued. "Austin will deal with Thea. He can usually talk some sense into her."

"It's not Thea I'm worried about." Said a voice from behind us and we turned to see Austin just a few steps away looking tired.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Thea can handle a fight." He said shrugging and putting his hands in his pockets. "As long as they only bother her she won't really care, she'll let it go, but some of the youngest in our cabin, they practically hero worship her. If they try to get back at the Ares cabin and they retaliate by going after our younger siblings."

"Then Thea gets involved." I finished for him and he nodded.

"Trust me. You don't want that." He said darkly.

His eyes met mine and I knew he was too thinking about so many summers ago when a much younger Thea had gotten involved in a claim dispute between the Hermes and Apollo cabin, after the Apollo cabin had locked the youngest Hermes campers in the armory. They called down a curse that brought the weapons to life and some of her siblings were pretty badly hurt.

Thea had stayed out of the fights until that point, but after her brothers and sisters were attacked, she'd taken it upon herself to become personally involved. I shuddered when I remembered the result.

"It can't be that bad." Crystal said frowning.

"Yes it can." Kyle said darkly. "You weren't here when it happened."

He hadn't been involved in the cursing, so he'd been spared her wrath but I could see in his eyes he was remembering his siblings who weren't so fortunate.

"What did she do?"

"I don't know how." He said. "But she managed to break into our cabin one night, and booby trap the entire thing. I'm talking weapons, bombs, real bombs with Greek fire, razor wire traps, she even managed to lock a few monsters in with us. Some of them barely got out alive. The cabin was nearly destroyed."

"Them?" Crystal asked.

"She got one of the Hecate campers to put a charm on me and the other kids who weren't involved in cursing her siblings so we didn't activate the traps ande got out ok, but most of the cabin didn't."

"Why didn't you guys fight back?" Crystal asked indignantly.

"Thea thought of that." Austin said with a sigh.

"She'd stolen all the weapons out of our cabin," Kyle said. "And the ones we had on reserve in the armory her siblings scattered them in the forest where they were picked up by any monster that stumbled across them."

"You just gave up?"

"What choice did we have?" Kyle asked. "Half our cabin was in the infirmary, we had no weapons, and no one was going to back us against the Hermes cabin while we were so weak."

"So what happened?" she asked frowning.

"That's the weird thing." He said frowning. "She approached us about a truce, and in the end, she gave us the shield the cabins were fighting over. She didn't care. All she said was to leave her brothers and sisters alone or else it would continue."

"If she did all that why didn't Chiron kick her out?"

"Because he would have to do the same thing to half of the Apollo cabin if he did." Austin said quietly. "It's not as if this was the first time cabins have fought over spoils before, I think secretly he was happy she got it to stop."

"So she just got away with it?" Crystal asked furiously. She turned to Kyle. "How can YOU be ok with that?"

"She didn't have to pay the Hecate to cast the charm." He said shrugging. "And if I'm honest that curse my siblings called down could have killed hers. She could have taken us all down, but she didn't. I don't like to admit it, but what she did was fair."

"Wait, she paid them?" I asked. I'd never known that before. Thea never paid for anything…

"Thea doesn't want conflict." Austin said. "To be honest, she's probably already forgotten about the attack, but our siblings haven't. And she won't tolerate them getting caught in the crossfire."

There was an awkward pause where none of us seemed to know what to say and he sighed.

"Well," he said. "I'm off to do damage control. Hopefully I can convince everyone to calm down before this escalates. I'll see you guys around."

He waved a little half heartedly and made after his sister in the direction of his cabin.

"How much you want to bet they're already planning their revenge?" Kyle asked quietly watching Austin's retreating figure. "Think he'll be able to convince them to let it go?"

"I've no idea." I said shaking my hand.

Crystal was uncharacteristically silent.

I looked down at her, expecting her to say something about Thea or her siblings but she didn't. She looked as if she was thinking, hard.

"Well. I guess if something happens it happens and we'll deal with it then." Kyle said with a shrug. "But I gotta get going, I promised Ashley I'd help her organize the scrolls in the Big House."

"Why?" I asked unable to think of a more excruciatingly boring activity. "You hate doing work."

"Yes," He admitted but for some reason he was grinning. "But I like pretty girls, and Ashley is very pretty."

At this Crystal smirked, and after a quick goodbye he departed for the Big House in high spirits.

"What do you think?" I asked. "Would they make a good couple?"

"Kyle and Ashley?" she asked and I nodded. "Why are you asking me?"

"Aren't you guys supposed to have a sixth sense about relationships and that sort of thing?"

"I mean, they're equally attractive." She said shrugging. "If that's what you mean."

I frowned. It wasn't.

She looked lost in thought again, as if something was bothering her but I couldn't imagine what it would be.

"Well I've got to go." I said glancing at my watch. "I'm supposed to be teaching Greek in five minutes."

"With the instigator herself." She muttered darkly, but she glanced up at me and her expression smoothed into a dazzling smile. "I'll see you later ok babe?"

"Alright."

She kissed me on the cheek and walked off in the direction of the cabins no doubt to touch up her make up before heading to her first activity and I watched her go feeling an odd mix of emotions.

Activities with Thea were the only time I really got to talk to her or even be around her without Crystal messing it up.

I frowned.

Messing it up? That was a strange thought, but I would be lying if I wasn't the slightest bit excited to see Thea this morning.

Grinning and wondering what monsters she'd be pitting against each other in lessons, I made me way after Kyle towards the big house. I thought about suggesting the Hydra so we could talk about the time I'd fought it, but this desire was quickly snuffed when I got to the Big House and realized she wasn't there.

'I guess I shouldn't be surprised.' I thought a little disappointed as I stepped up to the board and wrote out todays lesson plans.

Thea skipped activities on regular days, and this morning hadn't exactly been smooth for her. It made sense if she didn't bother turning up today. No doubt she and Austin were busy putting out fires, trying to calm the Hermes campers enough that they didn't go after the Ares cabin.

As if summoned these thoughts, Dennis walked into the the room. Immediately, his eyes locked onto the Ares brother and sister that were sitting in the back row of desks.

I felt the tension in the room increases exponentially and while no words were said, they continued to glare at each other.

Dennis reached for his belt, where I knew he kept his dagger and I reached for the pocket knife my father had given me on my fourteenth birthday, the one that could transform into a broadsword, ready for a fight but there was no need. Before I could even draw the blade, there was a heavy 'thwack!'

"Ouch!"

Dennis was rubbing the back of his head where Thea had smacked it with a book. Hard.

"Don't be an idiot." She said grabbing him by the back of his shirt and forcing him into a desk as far as possible from the Ares pair. "Do your work."

"Are you ok?" Hannah asked leaning over to Dennis's desk and looking at her friend with concern.

"Yeah." He muttered still rubbing the back of his head and throwing Thea a reproachful look.

Unaffected by this, she simply motioned for him to get working on his worksheet, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him with an eyebrow raised until he started working. I'd never seen her look so much like a big sister.

"You came." I said in surprise.

"Of course I came." She said flatly. "You think I'm gonna leave Dennis alone with those two?" she asked nodding towards the Ares duo that were glaring at Thea and were much bigger than Dennis. "They'd eat him alive."

"So you are going to try and stop your siblings from going after the Ares campers?" I asked.

"Of course." She said giving me a strange look. As if she'd thought that was obvious. "What you think I want a war between cabins?"

"Austin said you wouldn't care about getting attacked. But-"

"But what?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"I dunno, I guess I figured that not many people would be that level headed about what happened this morning."

"I don't care about that." She said scowling. "I can defend myself. I'd rather not waste all my money on Charms that's all."


	12. Chapter 12

Tpov

Austin and I agreed I should keep a low profile for the rest of the day while tensions between the Ares and Hermes campers were high. This meant that over the next few hours, I had a lot of time to kill.

I tried reading for a while, but after an hour I couldn't sit still. Tess offered to bring me to the forge and teach me how to build weapons but I had no interest, so I found myself where I always ended up when I wanted to be alone.

I didn't know how long I'd been on the roof of the Big House staring at clouds, but it was long enough to see several activity changes.

Eventually, I fell asleep and was having a particularly strange dream about Cheetos and care bears when a heavy slam from the back door jerked me awake.

"I can't BELIEVE Derek screwed it up." Crystal snarled obviously in a temper as and I heard her step on to the porch. "It was four against one! How could they lose?"

Intrigued, I crawled to the edge of the roof and poked my head over it to see Crystal and two of her blonde bombshell sisters.

"Well to be fair," one of the girls, who I thought was named Victoria started. "She is one of the best fighters in camp."

"His father is the God for war!" Crystal said indignantly. "If anyone was going to teach that little brat a lesson it was him."

"You could ask Adam." The other sister suggested.

"Are you an idiot Sola?" Crystal asked looking at her in contempt. "Adam would never do something like that, and especially not to her. Looks like as usual I've had to deal with this myself."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a compact mirror and checking her flawless complexion. Sola, who looked a little annoyed, smirked at her sister and said.

"I guess you're right." She said in a lofty voice. "You couldn't get Adam to do that."

"Kind of embarrassing really." Victoria said clearly picking up on her sister's train of thought and adopting a similarly patronizing tone. "Being head of the Aphrodite cabin and not being able to control your own boyfriend." She gave a fake sigh and exchanged an evil grin with Sola. "Makes you look kind of weak Chrys."

"Excuse me?" Crystal asked resurfacing and glaring at her sister. "What did you just say?" she asked, venom in her tone.

"Nothing." Victoria said shrugging innocently while Sola smiled nastily and continued for her.

"It's just, a little sad. You're the head of the cabin and you can't even keep your boyfriend from falling out of love with you."

I expected Crystal to explode with anger, but to my surprise, she also smirked.

"Jealous are we girls?" she asked raising an eyebrow before going back to the mirror

"Jealous of what?" they asked in unison.

"That I've got the hottest boy in camp in the palm of my hand." She said smugly.

"Well that seems like a bit of an exaggeration." Victoria said rolling her eyes.

"Please." She said sounding unconcerned, but I saw her eyes flash as pulled out a bottle of perfume from the purse sprayed herself. "I've put so much charm on that boy he'd drown himself in the lake if I asked him too."

I felt a stab of anger go through me but karma was immediately enacted through Victoria.

"You just can't get him not to dump you every couple of months." She said viciously.

Sola snickered and immediately Crystal's smug smile vanished.

"I'd like to see you control the son of Zeus!" she snapped. "It's not exactly easy you know, he's extremely powerful. Anyone would slip."

Her sisters pounced on her frustration.

"You seem to be slipping rather a lot lately." Sola said in mock concern.

"Yeah, and everyone in the cabin knows the truth. What he really wants." Victoria added.

"Shut up." Crystal muttered angrily turning back to the mirror to reapply her make up.

"Aw Chryssy, are you upset?" Victory asked in a baby voice.

"Feeling inadequate?" Sola asked jutting out her lower lip in a false pout.

"Of course not." Crystal said coolly. "Neither of them have a clue about what's going on."

"Yeah, but he's fighting it." Sola said amused. "You see the way he looks at her."

"Well he's going to stop." She said and suddenly she was wearing a self-satisfied smile.

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked.

"You don't think I'd really leave winning the heart of the most popular boy in camp to chance?" she asked with a smirk. "Of course not. Have some faith ladies."

"What are you going to do?" Sola asked and both girls looked fascinated.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise." She said dramatically. "But trust me. She won't be here for much longer. Until then, I just have to wait."

She'd evidently won the respect of her sisters again because they gave her an impressed look.

"I guess you do know what you're doing Chrys." Victoria said impressed.

"Of course I do." She said checking her reflection one last time then turning back to her sisters. "Let's go."

I leaned back as they made their way off their porch and back in the direction of their cabin talking about some designer I'd never heard of.

'What was that about?' I thought.

These thoughts preoccupied me for a while, as I sat watching the campers walking to activities, laughing with their friends, and generally enjoying the camp. I hadn't seen any fighting, no cabins were burning, and no curses had been called.

"I guess the crisis was averted." I muttered.

I leaned back on the roof with my hands behind my head planning to take another nap when someone spoke and I sat up in surprise.

"Why is it whenever I see you, you're always up."

I looked down in surprise to see Adam looking directly at me.

"You're generally the only one who does." I admitted bemused. "Not many people look up."

He frowned.

"What exactly are you doing up there anyways?"

"Nothing." I said honestly.

"That doesn't sound like you."

"Doesn't make it not true." I pointed out but he didn't look convinced. "Did ever occur to you that maybe I just like it up here?"

"On a roof?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah." I said shrugging.

"You're weird."

"Yeah I know." I said leaning back and closing my eyes enjoying the warmth of the sun.

I expected him to walk away, being camp hero and all he was always busy, but I was shocked when I heard something land next to me and felt a shadow cross my face.

I glanced up to see Adam looking down at me. He must have flown up.

"You're blocking the sun." I said squinting up at him annoyed.

"Oh I'm so sorry." He said sarcastically and carefully sitting next to me.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Making sure you don't fall." He said resting his arms on his knees and looking down at me with a shrewd expression. "Unlike me, when gravity inevitably wins you'll hit the ground."

"I don't fall." I said unconcerned.

"What?"

"You remember who my father is, don't you?" I asked amused. All of Hermes children had insane athletic ability, and it wasn't just our speed that was effected. Our balance and agility also had a boost. We were like cats.

"So?"

"Adam, have you ever seen me fall?"

"That doesn't mean it can't happen." He said stubbornly.

"Really?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

He didn't respond but I could tell by his expression he remained unconvinced.

"Watch this." I said amused and getting to my feet.

"What are you- Thea don't!"

But it was too late, before he'd even gotten to his feet I'd stepped towards the edge of the roof and was doing a handstand on the ledge.

He walked cautiously over to me and looked down.

"That," he started looking down at me as if stunned. "That shouldn't be possible."

"Neither should you shooting lightning out of your fingertips." I said and he groaned and turned away as I lifted an arm, now supporting my weight with only one. "But here we are."

"Would you stop that?" he asked. "You're going to give me a heart attack."

I laughed.

"Fine."

I easily leaned back and landed on the roof, then glanced up at Adam who looked as if he wasn't sure if he should be yelling at me or impressed.

"Skip the lecture," I said when he looked as if he were about to speak. "I've already been talked at a lot today."

"Austin?"

"Yep." I said sitting again and again surprised when he sat next to me. "I was told I couldn't cause any trouble today."

"So is this where you've been all day?" he asked.

"No one looks for you on a roof."

"Well you've got a point." He said looking around. "It's a nice view."

"I figured you've seen it a lot." I said. "You know, being able to fly and all."

"I really don't fly as often as most people think." He said frowning for some reason.

"That's a shame." I said. "If I could fly I don't think I would stop."

"It's not exactly how you think it is." He said shaking his head. "But I guess you like elevation more than most people I've met."

"I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."

"It's a statement, not a compliment." He said. "It's not anything."

"You really have a way with words." I said sarcastically and I was surprised to see him grin slightly.

"Yeah. Crystal's always complaining I'm not romantic enough."

"What you? Mr. straight talk and principals? I'm shocked." I said grinning.

"Yeah well you can't exactly talk about the romance department can you?" he asked me defensively. "Have you ever even had a boyfriend? Or date for that matter?"

I felt my smile fade slightly and I looked away from him in the direction of the Sound.

"How come you haven't dated anyone?" he asked apparently not noticing the change in my mood.

I shrugged.

"Not much interest." I said figuring it was close enough to the truth.

"Waiting on bigger and better things?"

I felt my stomach contract slightly.

"Yeah." I said quietly drawing my knees to my chest and hugging them. "Maybe. Either way I don't think that many people are lining up are they?"

"You know that's your own fault right?"

"Jeez Adam." I said looking at him unable to help feeling a little hurt. "Tell me how you really feel."

"It's true." He said shrugging. "I'm not saying it to be mean Thea, but if you didn't act so crazy I'm sure plenty of boys would want to date you. You're smart, you're pretty, you're one of this camps toughest fighters, you're just…"

"Just what?" I asked.

He frowned as if he couldn't find the right words.

"Just me." I said quietly looking away from him.

"Well yeah." He said sounding uncomfortable then seemed to realize what he said. "Wait that didn't come out right."

"No I think you said exactly what you wanted to say." I said with a sigh and stood up.

"I didn't mean-" He started but I cut him off.

"Don't." I said shaking my head, the tiny glow of happiness that had been steadily building inside me since the moment he'd landed on the roof had been eclipsed by a cold gray feeling that was spreading throughout the rest of me. "You were honest. That's what people are supposed to do right? Tell the truth?"

"Yeah." He said. "But why do I feel like a jerk?"

"Well I guess you'll have to figure that one out by yourself."

"Thea, wait." He said sounding upset but I waved him off and stepped off the roof.

"Thea!" he shouted in shock, but he didn't need to be worried.

I landed easily and kept walking despite the fact I could feel his eyes on me. I didn't know where I intended to go all I knew was that for once, I didn't want to be around Adam.


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you so much for the reviews! Happy Thanksgiving!

~secrethalfblood

Apov

I didn't see very much of Thea over the rest of the day. I didn't know if she was avoiding me, or was still laying low in the hopes that no fights would break out between the Hermes and Ares cabin, but either way, I didn't know how to feel about it.

Logically I knew I shouldn't care. What did it matter if she wanted to talk to me or not? I had friends, a girlfriend, and plenty of activities to keep me busy. I shouldn't even be thinking of her. But still, in my down time between lessons or when I was alone in my cabin, I couldn't help but think back to our conversation of the roof of the big house and wonder where it had gone so wrong.

As the day passed I continued to go over the conversation in my mind, trying to figure out where I messed up.

I didn't understand it. I mean I told the truth. I was sure if Thea could go more than five seconds without getting in trouble boys would be interested in her. I knew a lot of them thought she was attractive, I'd heard them talking about it. If I was honest I had to admit she was extremely pretty, not that I could ever say that out loud but still… there was something about the way when she smiled at you. It made it hard to think. Not that she was smiling much at me lately.

What had happened?

I didn't know why I cared so much. I always was making Crystal mad by saying something stupid one way or another, but I never thought about it this much. Thea was different though. I didn't know why, I wasn't even sure if you could call us friends and talking to her was so confusing. Still… I didn't like that I'd seemed to upset her.

I reflected on this as Kyle and I took inventory in the armory as we prepared for this week's game of capture the flag.

It wasn't as if she was difficult to talk to. Thea was actually one of the few people in camp I felt like I could actually hold a conversation with. Compared to Crystal, who only seemed interested in fashion and make up, talking to Thea was like a stroll in a monster free park. But while I always knew exactly how I felt when I was talking to Crystal, assured, if not slightly bored, with Thea it was different. I was almost anxious, a feeling I wasn't used to. I shouldn't have been. I mean, I was the son of Zeus, nothing should scare me monster or mortal. But Thea didn't scare me. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to be around her. But saying the wrong thing was frustrating and I seemed to have a talent for it.

"Dude, you ok?"

"Huh?" I asked being brought back from my thoughts and focusing on him.

"You've been distracted all day. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said shrugging.

I was supposed to be repairing a strap on the shield I was holding, but I realized for the passed couple of minutes I'd been staring at my own frowning reflection.

"You look upset." He pressed. "You and Crystal get into a fight or something?"

"No." I said honestly. In fact, things had been great with Crystal since Thea had been avoiding me. You'd think I'd be happy and I was. When I was with Crystal I didn't think much about Thea, but when she was gone, I went right back to thinking about her.

"Then what gives?" he asked raising an eyebrow and I teetered on what I wanted to say, but despite my hesitation, I still sounded like an idiot.

"Do you ever think about a girl's smile?" I asked.

"What?" he asked looking completely thrown.

"You know…" I said in frustration. Gods why was Thea so difficult? "Like if a girl smiles around you."

"Do you mean like a girl in general, or one specific girl?"

"General, or specific I guess."

"That doesn't make sense."

Of course it didn't, nothing about Thea did.

"I guess," I said trying to place the right words. "Do you ever want to make someone happy?"

"You're talking about a girl?"

I nodded.

"Sure." He said shrugging then laughed. "I mean, most guys prefer it when girls are happy with them."

"I don't think I'm very good at it." I muttered.

"I think you make Crystal plenty happy. You know, when she isn't being crazy." He said shrugging. "You're attractive, popular, a well known hero, you're everything she wants in a guy."

"I wasn't talking about Crystal." I said confused.

"Well now you've lost me." He said frowning. "Who are you talking about?"

But a familiar laugh caught my attention and I looked out of the armory door to see Thea, her friend Tess, and a tall blonde boy who I recognized to be Michael the head of the Athena cabin walking together talking animatedly about something.

"Probably discussing strategy for the game." He said wisely. "What do you think they're planning?"

But I couldn't care less about strategy. It was Thea who'd laughed and Michael stepped closer to her, directing her attention to what looked like a map.

"Hades man! Be careful!" Kyle shouted pushing back in his chair so violently he fell over as sparks shot from my finger tips and danced across the surface of the shield.

"Sorry." I said dropping the shield as he picked himself up and gave me a wary look.

"What has gotten into you lately?" he asked incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

"Dude. Over the passed few days you've been totally spaced out, you don't talk to anyone. It's like you're on a different planet."

"I don't know." I said honestly.

"Well figure it out will you?" he asked irritated. "Before you kill someone, like me."

Despite his warning, I fell back into my preoccupation with Thea. It was so consuming, that it was almost a relief when Crystal came to visit me while our team was getting ready for the game.

"You know." She said glancing at my armor. "I've always had a thing for a man in uniform."

As she spoke, I felt Thea slide to the back of my mind where I hoped she'd stay. Going into a game with armed demigods half focused wasn't the best plan of action.

"You going to win for me tonight?" she asked smiling sweetly up at me.

"I'll try." I said grinning down at her.

"Well," she said tightening one of the straps on my armor and resting her hands on my chest. "I'm going to get going before all the excitement starts. I'll be watching."

She winked and then blew me as kiss as she walked away which several of the guys, and some of the Ares sisters, gave me shit for, but I ignored them.

"Ok, so what's the final plan?" Kyle asked when he joined Derek and I at the map we'd laid out over the flattest rock we could find.

"The flag is located on a hill in a clearing not too far from here." Dereks said pointing to the location on the map.

"Seems a little visible don't you think?" I asked.

"Yeah, well, we want it to be." Kyle said tersely. "All this time we've been trying to put it in a 'safe' location and look where it's gotten us. The Hermes kids just come out of the trees and take it before we even know it's gone. This way they'll have to be out in the open. They won't have anywhere to hide."

"Kyle and his cabin will be on the hill playing defense." Derek continued. "Even if they're fast Austin and his cabin will have to be running up hill."

"And we'll slow them down." Kyle said smirking and tapping his bow.

"The Hecate cabin will be guarding the border. They're going to use The Mist to disorient anyone crossing, hopefully we can get them to stumble over their own traps that we know they're going to set up there. They always do. My cabin will be taking the offense."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked frowning.

"Contain Thea." They said both scowling and when he caught my expression they, Kyle explained.

"You can fly. You're the only one who might be able to keep up with her. She's too quick for Derek and his cabin, and she'll be across the border before the Mist can be set up. Even if we have bows, you know why she's like. She'd have the flag before anyone knew where to shoot."

"Alright, I see your point. But how will I find her?" I said frowning while mentally adding 'Why did it have to be me?'

"That we can help you with." Derek said leaning back over the map and gesturing towards an X that was a bit passed the creek that divided the two territories and was nestled between two rock formations, an ideal place to defend. "This is where they've set up their command center. Thea's Michael's top player so he'll be giving her instructions up until the last second, any change in any details of his plans and he'll want her to know. She should be leaving from there." He traced his hand across an area of rough terrain that I knew most people wouldn't have bothered going through. "This is the quickest route to the boundary. She'll probably be moving this way, even this topography won't slow her down much so she'll be passed it by the time you'd get there, but here." He said pointing to another small clearing. "Is where you can intercept her. She'll be out in the open, there's no trees so it'll be easy for you to direct lightning and fly."

"I'm not shooting lightening at anyone." I said scowling. "It's too dangerous."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how noble you're feeling when you're up against her." Derek said gruffly and I felt annoyed.

"We should set up." Kyle said glancing at his watch. "We're starting soon."

"You heard him!" Derek shouted at the demigods that were wearing a mix of symbols and colors on their armor. "Form ranks, move to your stations!"

"Well I'd better get back to the flag." Kyle said adjusting the quiver on his shoulder. "Good luck with Thea man."

"Thanks. I'm going to need it." I said. I was pretty sure Thea wasn't very happy with me at the moment and now when I was forced to confront her, it would be with weapons.

I watched as he and his siblings made their way through the woods back to where our flag was located and I glanced at the map one final time, making sure I'd memorized the location before starting to run. There were too many trees to bother with flying, and as the hunting horn blared I knew the game had started.

It took me about fifteen minutes to reach the clearing, a time in which I knew Thea even though she had a lot more ground to cover, had probably already made it. I looked around uncertainly. It was pretty, surrounded by trees, with a small pond in the center that was reflecting orange sky as the sun began to set. Derek was right, there was no where here for Thea to hide. So where was she?

I frowned.

Had Michael known this was where we'd expect her? That seemed likely. He was an excellent strategist, but even if he'd known this I doubted it would have mattered much. When it came to capture the flag he had a lot of faith in Thea and she was never one to back down from a challenge. They would have gone for the quickest route to the flag no matter how risky. Speed was one of her biggest advantages, one he used readily. She had to be hiding, but where?

I glanced around the clearing again. Where the hell was she?

Then it hit me. I looked up.

"Should have known." She said with half a smile, dropping from the tree looking up at me with a shrewd expression. "Guess you found me."

"Yeah." I said uneasily taking a step back from her as she drew her sword.

"Well, shall we?" she asked casually stepping after me.

"Shall we what?"

"I'm supposed to get passed you, and you're not supposed to let me do that." She said raising an eyebrow. "Isn't this the part where we fight?"

I couldn't help but think that even in armor, her hair pulled back into a pony tail, and her sword pointed at my chest, that she looked very pretty.

"Look Thea." I said suddenly not caring about the game. "I want to apologize."

She gave me a cautious look.

"Why?"

Her sword was inches from my chest, and while she looked conflicted, it didn't waver. I took another step back.

"I think I hurt your feelings earlier and I didn't mean to."

Again she closed the distance between us.

"This is a weird battle tactic." She said her eyes narrowing. "But I'll give you points for originality."

"I don't care about that." I said shaking my head. "I really am sorry. I'm just an idiot sometimes."

"Yeah, you never were that great with words or feelings." She said looking more conflicted than ever. Her sword had finally lowered.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" I asked wondering why I felt so disappointed.

"I was never mad at you Adam." She said frowning and I felt my heart skip a beat as she said my name.

"Then why were you avoiding me?" I asked. I could hear the resentment in my tone and she looked surprised.

"I didn't think you'd care." She said quietly.

"Well I do." I said stubbornly and she smiled slightly.

"Well thanks for apologizing, but now you're making me look kind of like a jerk."

"What do you mean?" Why was she so close all of the sudden?

"Just know it's nothing personal." She said giving me an apologetic look.

"What-" but I didn't finish the sentence. She pushed me with surprising force and I fell back into a net made of bronze then was hoisted up into the air by a series of wiring that was trailing from the very tree I'd found her in.

"Sorry." She said looking up and giving me a guilty smile as I dangled none too comfortably above her. "Michael would kill me if I let you follow me."

"This whole thing was a trap?" I asked her indignantly.

"You really think I would have let you find me?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "That it would be this easy?" she finished gesturing around at the clearing.

"I'll send Kyle to find you after I get the flag. Until then, enjoy the view." She said grinning slightly and while I knew I should be furious at the moment, I wasn't.

I watched her sword shrink back into her necklace, and after one final apologetic smile, she took off into the woods.

I didn't know how long I was stuck in the net, but it had gotten dark and finally, after what felt like a half an hour after the horn had been called signaling the end of the game, Kyle made it to the clearing. The second he saw me he burst out laughing.

"Yeah, it's really hilarious." I said sourly. "Just get me down."

"Alright." He said amused pulling out a knife and cutting through the wire that held the net up.

I crashed none to lightly to the ground and groaned as he leaned over me, still smirking.

"She got you good." He said chuckling and helping me up.

"Thanks for reminding me." I said darkly. "Who won?"

"Who do you think?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Thea got the flag?"

He nodded and we made our way back towards camp.

We didn't talk much as we reached the cabins where Thea's team was talking and throwing a mini party in their cabin. Again I felt anger stab through me as I saw Michael talking to Thea on the Hermes' cabin porch. They were both beaming, obviously ecstatic about their win and while a good five feet separated them, I felt like an over whelming urge to stand between them. She laughed at something he said and the urge increased. He nodded towards the door, obviously suggesting they join the rest of the party. Again, I felt an insane urge to go over there and join them, but she shook her head and he shrugged then went in by himself. She watched him leave, then glanced up at the sky and I saw her hop up on the bannister of the porch, jump, catch the ledge of the ceiling and pull herself up on the roof apparently unaware I was watching her as she sat still looking up at the moon.

"I was wondering where you boys got to."

Kyle and I turned to see Crystal walking towards us from the campfire where the rest of our team was currently sulking along with their friends.

"Sorry about the game." She said looking at me.

"No big deal." Kyle said shrugging. "Just gotta do better next week, but if you'll excuse me, I've got a party to join."

"You're going to their party?" Crystal asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ashley invited me before I had to cut this one down." He said giving me an amused looked. "I'll see you guys later."

We watched him walk towards the Hermes cabin and she saw my eyes travel to Thea again, who was still on the roof looking a little lost. I didn't get it. She should have been happy. She'd just won. But in the moonlight I saw she'd reached into her pocket and pulled out a small scroll. She seemed to consider it for a second before she looked back up at the moon.

"Gods she's so weird." She muttered also looking at Thea. "I mean, there's a party at her cabin and she's just sitting alone in the dark."

I shrugged. I didn't think it was that weird.

"You're still upset about the game aren't you?" she asked looking at me. "Is that why you're not talking?"

I didn't answer because I knew it would be easier to let her think that then tell her the truth.

"Anything I can do to make you feel better?" she asked sliding her hand into mine. "We could go join the rest of your team if you want."

"No, I think I'm just going to go back to my cabin." I said and she smiled.

"Great. I'll go with you."

"You know we're not allowed to be alone together."

"Can't you break your rule obsession for one night?" she asked and though I wanted to say no, I found myself saying.

"Alright." Though I wasn't sure why.

I didn't fight her as she dragged me to my cabin, but I did look over my shoulder, not entirely sure what I was looking for until I realized that Thea was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Tpov

I felt a little bad about leaving Adam stranded in the clearing, but that's how it was in capture the flag. There was no mercy. I didn't know if he was angry about it or not, but he'd seemed sincere in his apology and I kind of exploited.

'No point in thinking about it now.' I thought as I aimed at the monster. 'You've got bigger things to worry about.'

The sky was dark, but the street lights gave me plenty of light to take in my surroundings as the gorgon looked around the street. I knew she could smell a demigod was near, but couldn't quite pinpoint me. I drew back the bow string and paused waiting for the cool breeze that had just blown to settle, then exhaled as I let the arrow fly. It didn't kill her, not that I expected it to. One of the snakes that composed her hair had seen me at the last second and she was able to move just in time to avoid a fatal injury.

I jumped from the foot bridge I'd been positioned in, my sword drawn by the time I'd landed in front of her. She was bleeding badly, but didn't seem to notice it as she turned to face me.

"Demigod." She sneered the snakes in her hair hissing with her.

"Look I don't want to kill you." I said shaking my head. "I just need some of your blood. After that you can go on your way."

She let out a humorless laugh.

"You're not the first one to come asking daughter of Hermes." She said giving me a look of cruel interest. "Although I must admit, your heart doesn't seem to be in it. Having second thoughts?"

I didn't answer.

"Well I'll tell you the same thing I told the girls before you. You're going to have to kill me."

"That can be arranged." I said darkly holding up my sword.

"Well if you're so confident little girl." She said smirking. "Let's put your skills to the test."

And then without warning she attacked.

…..

"Jeez Thea." Austin said an I winced as he poured rubbing alcohol on the gash on my shoulder when I got back to camp Saturday morning. It was just after breakfast and he'd agreed to take a look at my injury in our cabin where we could avoid prying eyes. "What the in the name of Olympus happened to you?"

"Gorgon." I muttered.

"In camp?" he asked alarmed.

"No." I said flatly and he seemed to understand.

"Why did you leave?" he asked and I swore as he pressed gauze over the injury. It didn't feel pleasant.

I held up the scroll which he took frowning.

"Gorgon blood, a scale from a drakon, a Gryphon claw…." He continued to look at the rest of the requests. "By Zeus she's not asking for much is she?"

I laughed and he frowned.

"You really should have one of the Apollo kids look at this." He said looking at my shoulder.

"And have them asking questions?" I asked looking back and adjusting my tank top so the strap didn't rest directly over the gauze. "I don't think so. They'd tell Chiron."

"He might be able to help you." He pointed out. "Make sure you make an informed decision."

"What would Chiron know about it?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "He's male. And a centaur. Not exactly her demographic."

"But he's helped others make this decision."

"I don't want anyone else involved."

"Is that why you still haven't told Tess?" he asked shrewdly.

Guilt surged through me, but I was spared the need to respond when an excited voice cried.

"Thea! Thea! I did it! Watch this- oh." Dennis froze as he spotted Austin, the cabin medical kit, and the bandage on my shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Fine." I said pulling my camp shirt over my tank top as Austin repacked the kit. "What's going on?"

"Well," he said giving me an uncertain look but then smiling. "Look!" he said happily holding up a padlock and after looking at it with intense concentration, it fell open.

"Nice." I said grinning as Austin gave me an awkward nod and stepped out of the room.

Dennis noticed.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" he asked looking concerned.

"Just a little scrape." I said shrugging and immediately regretting it as I felt the injury stretch painfully.

"It didn't look like a scrape." He pressed. "And you disappeared during the party last night. What were you up to?"

"Do you really expect an answer?" I asked him raising an eyebrow and he sulked.

"I dunno, I know no one else knows what you're up to lately, but I thought you might tell me."

"What's that's supposed to mean?" I asked amused and he shrugged.

"I dunno," he repeated looking a little embarrassed. "I guess I thought you and I were kind of close."

"Sounds like you think we older siblings have favorites."

"Yeah, I guess it's a little ridiculous." He muttered sounding disappointed.

"Not really." I said laughing. "We do."

He grinned.

"Speaking of favoritism." I said standing and walking to my trunk. "If you are going to be my protégé and you're already unlocking things mentally, we've got to move you up to the next level."

"Alright." He said eagerly and I pulled out a combination lock.

"Get to work on that." I said tossing him the chunk of metal and which he caught.

"I will later." He said. "Hannah invited me to go looking for wild flowers in the woods with a few of her sisters." And when he caught my expression he quickly added. "I'm mainly there just to keep an eye out for monsters while they search."

"You must really like her then." I said chuckling. "Cuz that sounds awful."

He shrugged.

"Oh, Tess was looking for you." He said. "I ran into her at breakfast while Austin was patching you up."

"Alright." I said kicking my trunk shut. "Thanks for the heads up. Don't lose my lock."

"Ok Thea." He said laughing then walking with me out of the room.

"Where have you been?" Tess asked me as I found her in the armory repairing a bent sword.

"Around." I said evasively and she shot me a suspicious look but I asked my question before she could ask hers. "Dennis said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah." She said excitedly. "You still want to play in the volleyball tournament right?"

"Yeah." I said hoping my shoulder wouldn't start bleeding in the middle of a game.

"Great!" she said abandoning the still mangled weapon. "It starts right after lunch. Let's go sign up."

We had to find Kyle who, as usual, had been the one to organize the tournament to register our team. He and several of the popular campers were enjoying the lack of scheduled activities on the weekend by swimming in the lake.

"I wondered when you'd show up." He said grinning at me shaking the water out of his hair as he waded to shore. "Looks like our team might have a challenge after all. Who's on your team?"

Tess listed herself, my name, and a few of her siblings.

"Alright." He said adding the names to a note book that had a column of teams and a bracket playoff system. "Your first game will be at one fifteen."

"Great." Tess and I said in unison.

"You have a team name?" he asked looking up from the notebook but I heard a laugh and a shriek.

"ADAM WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!"

We looked over to see Adam had picked Crystal up from the towel she'd been tanning on and was running to the peer.

"ADAM I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she shrieked but that didn't stop him from jumping into the water with her still struggling in his arms.

Several people laughed as the couple crashed through the lake surface.

"She's going to be so pissed," Kyle said amused. "She hates getting her hair wet. You might want to get out of here though," he continued looking at me. "Before a furious Crystal realizes you're here."

"Don't need to tell me twice." I said and Tess nodded.

We turned to leave when Kyle said.

"You know you really should get some ambrosia for your shoulder. You're a front row player and hitting during the game is definitely going to reopen the wound."

I closed my eyes inwardly cursing Kyle and Apollo's healing powers. I thought he was more of a music guy, I didn't know he was so good at detecting injuries.

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked confused looking between Kyle and I.

"Her shoulder." He said gesturing to his own. "It's been cut pretty deep."

Tess looked at me for an explanation, but I avoided her eye.

"I can take a look at it if you want." Kyle said. "I'm not as good as some of my siblings but I can probably fix it."

"I'm fine." I said automatically but he rolled his eyes.

"Just let me take a look at it. I'll decide."

Very aware that Tess was watching, I sighed, and pulled off my camp shirt leaving my tank top and I saw Tess's eyes widen when she saw the gauze.

"Who treated this?" Kyle asked frowning, apparently unsatisfied with the work while Tess said "what happened to you?"

I didn't answer either of them.

"You're bleeding through the bandages." He said rotating me and looking at my injury critically. He lifted the gauze. "Come with me."

"Where are you going?" Tess asked.

"The Big House. Thea needs stitches at the very least, probably some divine food."

"Why didn't you go earlier?" Tess asked me angrily but before I could answer a new voice had joined the conversation I'd hoped so desperately to avoid.

"Kyle, what's going on?"

We turned to see Adam, still soaked with lake water, had jogged over to us.

"Thea needs medical attention." Kyle said shrugging and Adam spotted the wound.

"Let me see that." He said looked concerned but I quickly put on my shirt.

"I'm fine." I said.

"I'll be the judge of that." Kyle said flatly and grabbing my arm. "Let's go. The sooner you get some ambrosia in you the more likely you'll be able to play. You two wait here." He said looking at Adam and Tess. "This shouldn't take too long."

He grabbed my arm and started dragging me to the Big House.

"So Thea," he said giving me a shrewd look as soon as we were out of ear shot. "You want to tell me why you're trying to hide a Gorgon attack?"

"How did you-" I started but he cut me off.

"I've seen injuries like this before." He said flatly. "You're lucky I realized it before it got infected. Why didn't you go to the infirmary?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I said shaking my head and he gave me a searching look.

"And I'm guessing you don't want Chiron to know about this either?" he said perceptively.

"No." I said.

"Alright." He said eventually. "I won't ask questions. Just promise next time you hurt yourself come to me instead of one of your siblings ok?"

"Why?" I asked frowning. I'd never had an issue with Kyle before, in fact, I'd always found him rather likeable but it wasn't as if we were friends.

"Because if something serious did happen to you and he knew I could have fixed it, Adam would kill me."

Apov

Tess and I watched Kyle and Thea walk off, Tess looking as confused as I felt. First the acid burn, then the cut to her cheek, now this.

"Where is she getting all these injuries?" I asked looking down at her and she shrugged.

"Couldn't tell you." She said shaking her head.

"You're her best friend!" I said indignantly.

"You know what she's like." She said looking up at me with a raised eyebrow. "She's always gone off to do her own thing every once and a while. No one knows what she gets up to, but she always comes back fine."

"That didn't look very fine to me." I said flatly.

"Thea's tough." She said but she was frowning.

"Are you worried?"

"I dunno." She said her expression conflicted. "Thea can take care of herself but she's been a little weird lately. Weirder than usual. I don't really know what's up with her."

"I'm going to see if she's ok." I said.

"What about Crystal?" she asked looking over her shoulder at Crystal and her friends that were all talking by the lake.

"She's already mad at me anyways." I said shrugging. "What's one more thing?"

"I'll come with you." Tess said and together we followed Kyle and Thea to the Big House and I felt a little awkward. I realized I'd never really talked to Tess before. I knew she was Thea's best friend and specialized in explosive weapons and traps with wire rigging, but other than that I didn't know much about her. Over the years she'd helped Thea occasionally get revenge on campers that had bullied others, but she seemed like a quiet person. Apart from her siblings, Thea was the only person I ever saw her around

"Is it difficult?" I asked her eventually.

"Is what difficult?" she asked sounding confused.

"Being Thea's best friend."

"That's a weird question to ask Adam." She said looking at me uncertainly.

"I guess I mean, what's it like being close to her?"

It was something I'd always wondered.

"I don't know if anyone's that close to her, really." She said frowning. "She let's people in zones. Some people know some things, other people know others. I'm not sure there's a person on this planet who knows everything about Thea other than Thea herself."

"Why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." She said with a shrug.

"You have to have some sort of idea. You've known her for years."

"So have you." She pointed out.

"That's different." I said quietly.

"You could just ask her." She said giving me an expression I couldn't read.

"She'd probably lie."

"Yeah probably."

"So why do you put up with it?" I asked. "Knowing there's stuff she doesn't tell you."

"Because she's the most loyal person I've ever met."

"Doesn't that drive you nuts though?" I asked in frustration as we passed the cabins. "Knowing no matter how hard you try you never know what's going through her head?"

"Not really." She said shrugging. "If she wants to tell me something she will, otherwise what's the point in worrying about it?"

"Because I want to know." I muttered and again she looked at me but didn't say anything. "You must have some idea why she is the way she is."

"I do." She said looking straight ahead her tone measured. "But I don't think you'll like it."

"What is it?" I asked frowning.

"I think she's afraid of abandonment." She said still refusing to look at me. "Her whole life people have left her. Her mom died, she doesn't see her father hardly at all, her aunt shipped her off to any school she could, and the second Crystal got here all of her friends just left her. That's why she's so loyal to the people she cares about, but keeps them at arm's length. She doesn't want to make anyone feel the way she's felt, and I think she's worked it out if they don't know everything about her, it'll hurt less if they leave."

"Why do you think that would bother me?" I asked frowning.

"You really don't get it do you?" She asked shaking her head and she sounded angry now.

"Get what?" I asked confused and she stopped walking. She looked at me, obviously wondering if anyone could be as stupid as she thought I was acting.

"She'll never admit it, but of everyone who's abandoned Thea, the one that hurt her the most was you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked uncomfortably. "I didn't abandon Thea."

"Yeah you did." She said with an incredulous laugh. "I was here when you first got to camp Adam. Thea was the first person who was nice to you, even before anyone knew who your father was. Don't you remember? You used to do everything together. Honestly, I remember everyone thinking you were really weird for wanting to hang around the camp klepto. Then you were claimed and Crystal showed up." She said darkly. "And you acted like you didn't even know her."

She looked really irritated now and I didn't know what to say.

"You know she could have been angry at you for treating her that way, ignoring her when it's convenient for you but she puts up with it. Just like she puts up with everyone talking about her, making fun of her, and especially Crystal. She never once did anything about how people have treated her, and she could have made them pay, but she didn't and do you know why? Because no matter what people say about her Thea is a good person. Better than most people here. She stands up for people who can't do it for themselves and gets endless shit for it, even from you. But do you know what the worst part is?" she asked glaring at me in disapproval and I wondered how long she'd been wanting to say this to me.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"She'd still do anything for you." She said bitterly. "'Cuz that's the kind of person she is. Someone could shoot an arrow at you right now and I bet she'd jump in front of it. And you just threw that away. But hey, at least you got the pretty girl right?"

She shook her head and resumed walking.

"You know what, maybe it's better if you don't go to the infirmary. You'll just get her hopes up, and then you'll just go right back to Crystal like you always do."

"You can't stop me from making sure she's ok." I said angrily.

"Whatever." She said shrugging but she didn't wait for me to catch up.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" I asked frowning as I followed her. This was weird, I'd never met someone who didn't like me.

"I don't dislike you." She said as I fell into step next to her. "You're a decent enough guy. I just can't tell if you're selfish or just an idiot."

"What do you mean?" I asked knowing it was probably the second one.

"Because I have a hard time believing you really can't see how much you mean to her." She said quietly. "Do you really not see that? Or do you just like knowing she's there?"

"I-" I started confused but I had no idea what to say. Not for the first time I felt at war with myself, and I wasn't even sure what was even being fought about.

What she said made sense, I mean, I couldn't deny that Thea had always been around but it wasn't as if she'd ever been upset. Thea was always laughing and joking around. I hadn't hurt her. People grew apart, it was just something that happened, but even as I tried to assure myself of this, I wondered if that was true. Was that why she'd been so upset with me the other day?

Tess shook her head again.

"Boys are so stupid." She muttered, the Big House was in view and I saw Kyle and Thea stepping out on to the porch. "He was right," she said in surprise. "that didn't take long." She turned to look at me. "What are you going to do?"

I hesitated but before I could answer someone shouted my name.

"ADAM!"

Tess and I, along with everyone in the immediate area turned to see Chiron galloping in our direction.

"What's wrong Chiron?" I asked frowning as he stopped in front of us.

"We've been sent a distress signal."

Several people started to whisper.

"Another one?" Tess asked in surprise, but everyone had turned to me.

"What did it say?" I asked.

"We've got a stranded pair in the city." He said. "Aphis just contacted me, saying they're cornered in the subway and need an extraction. How fast can you be ready?"

"Five minutes." I said. "I just need to grab my gear from my cabin. Then I can head out."

"Are you sure you don't want to assemble a team?" he asked.

"No." I said quickly. "I do better on my own."

He frowned for a moment, then looked at Kyle who'd been doing a last minute assessment of Thea's stitches but was now looking at us.

"Get a Pegasus ready for him." he said to Kyle who nodded. "Adam, get to the stable as fast as you can."

"Alright." I said then ran to my cabin.

It didn't take long to grab my mission gear. I kept it in a pack under my bunk and it was ready to go at all times.

I'd just jumped the last few steps of the stairs and thrown open my door where I almost collided into someone.

"Oh gods!" I said quickly side stepping them and turning to see it was Crystal. "What are you doing here?" I asked confused.

"I heard about the distress signal. I just came to see you off before your mission."

"Thanks." I said a bit distractedly as I went through my mental check list of things I needed.

She kissed me on the cheek.

"Don't forget to get me a present." She said with a wink.

"Yeah sure." I said shaking my head. "Look I've really got to go."

"Ok, ok." She said letting me go. "But New York has some nice stuff, so whatever you bring back better not be tacky or cheap."

"Yeah fine." I said barely registering what she had to say and running in the direction of the stables.

"Sorry." I said when I made it. "I got held up. Crystal-"

"No explanations." Kyle said bringing out the pegasus and I jumped on. "People need saving, go. Now."

I nodded and kicked my heels in to the Pegasus's sides and as he started to gallop, we gained elevation.

"They're on the green line!" Chiron shouted after me. "In Manhattan."

I was thirty feet in the air now, ready to push the Pegasus to his full speed when I realized I could see the entire lay out of the camp. The last time I'd seen it from this high was…

I looked over at the Big House and felt a shock go through me. She was there, sitting at the point of the roof and while she was far, I could tell she was looking at me.

I hesitated, thinking about everything Tess had said. I wanted to talk to her.

'You don't have time for that now.' A voice said stiffly from the back of my mind. 'People need your help.'

Cursing, knowing it was right, I turned the Pegasus in the direction of the city and urged it forward.


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows! They mean a lot! Hope you like the new chapter!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

We played the tournament as usual after Adam had left for his emergency extraction mission, but without their best player, Kyle and his brothers were pretty much destroyed. Tess and my team won, but I found it wasn't a very satisfying victory. It would have felt better winning if Adam had been there.

A few hours after he'd left, the Pegasus returned with the new camper and Aphis, who'd said that in order to get them out, Adam had instructed them to leave him behind and he'd make it back to camp on his own. While he was only in the city, no one was really sure how long it would take him to get back.

Saturday passed pretty normally, but Sunday I woke up to what sounded like firecrackers being lit under my bunk.

"What the?" I asked sitting up in confusion and looking around to see the entire cabin awake, hovering around my bed with party poppers, the contents of which was now strewn all over my blankets and floor.

"Happy birthday!" they shouted in excitement.

"Oh." I said rubbing my eyes and pulling a string of confetti out of my hair. "Thanks guys."

"We tried to make you a cake." Jackson said a little guiltily as I held back a yawn. "But then SOMEONE," he glared at Jessica. "Decided to start a food fight."

"Was it epic?" I asked grinning.

"Yeah." Several of them chorused and I grinned.

"Well then it is an honor to sacrifice my cake in the name of edible warfare."

They returned the smile, and not for the first time I could see the family resemblance.

"Alright you lot." Austin said. "Make your way to breakfast."

There was a low murmur of grumbling as people filed out of the room, some giving me a hug or wishing me a final happy birthday before heading out.

"We're going to fail cabin inspection this morning." I said looking around me at numerous the bits of paper and pieces of string that had been trampled all over the room. "Because I am not cleaning this up."

He chuckled and sat on the bunk next to me.

"So." He said giving me a shrewd look. "Seventeen."

"Super exciting." I said sarcastically and he shrugged.

"It can be." He said. "Seventeen was a big year for me. I learned to drive, got my first girlfriend, got dumped for the first time. I learned how to yodel."

"Seriously?" I asked him skeptically.

"No, but my point is you never know what's going to happen. You're only seventeen once. I mean," he hesitated or a second. "Unless you've made a decision about-"

"I haven't." I said quickly and he shrugged.

"Well then, I think you should be a bit more optimistic." He said grinning. "You never know what's going to happen. Anyways." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Happy birthday."

"You didn't have to get me anything." I said in surprise.

"I know." He said shrugging. "But do you really think I'm not going to get something for my favorite sister? Not that I said that out loud." He added quickly and I grinned.

I opened the box and inside was a small bonze charm in the shape of a wing.

"It's beautiful." I said with a smile.

"Yeah, and that's not all it is." He said reaching under the collar of his shirt and pulling out his camp necklace. I saw an identical charm strung on it. "These two are linked. You can use them to send messages to each other no matter where you are. Even underground."

"But why are you giving this to me?" I asked perplexed. "We're both always here."

"Well," he said shrugging. "For now. But if you do decide to leave us, I want to know I have a way of making sure my sister is ok."

I grinned and pulled him into a hug.

"Well, I've got to get going." He said briskly standing up as we broke apart. "Campers to yell at, cabins to inspect."

"Alright." I said amused.

"Happy birthday Thea." He said with one final smile and then walked out of the room.

I looked happily at my present for a moment, then slid it on to my camp necklace before I changed out of my pajamas followed him out of the room.

I'd just stepped out into the hall when someone called my name.

"Thea! Wait up!"

I turned to see Dennis jogging to catch up with me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I just wanted to thank you." He said.

"For what?" I asked confused

"For all the stuff you've done for me since I got here." He said a little awkwardly. "I mean, our siblings are all really nice but you're the one who's really been looking out for me."

"That's what big sisters are for." I said and he smiled.

"I got you a present too." He said reaching into his pocket. "I just couldn't give it to you while Austin was around."

"Well that sounds promising." I said with a grin as he extracted a piece of paper from his jeans and handed it to me. I opened it but was immediately confused. Written on it were six numbers that, while significant to me, really made no sense. "I don't get it." I said looking up at him. "What do I do with today's date?"

"I rewired the vending machine in the Big House." He said with a self satisfied grin. "Type that into the key pad and it'll give you anything you want for free."

"That is brilliant." I said laughing. "How did you learn how to do that?"

"I dunno." He said shrugging. "I was just thinking I had no idea what to get you, when I remembered you saying that we had unique talents, and I dunno. It just came to me. Next thing I knew, I'd opened the control box, messed with a few wires and it worked."

"Stealing from a machine while getting it to do all the work." I said in approval and fixing him with an interested gaze. "You know, I don't think I've ever been more proud. You might just be the next generation of Hermes demigods Dennis. A technologically savvy thief."

He grinned and together we made our way towards the dining pavilion, where Dennis went to find his friend Hannah and I ran into Tess.

"Hey!" she said brightly and tackling me into a hug. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry I don't have your present yet." She said apologetically. "I was working on it last night and… it kind of blew up."

"What was it?" I asked with interest.

"Well I was TRYING to develop a new type of smoke bomb." She said irritated. "But I think I miscalculated the amount of sulfur I'd need, but luckily I still have my eyebrows."

"Yeah." I said chuckling.

"So to make it up to you, I decided I'll come with you to the concert tonight." She said shrugging.

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah." She said. "And then I can just buy you a band t shirt or something. I know it's not as fun," she said sounding a little disappointed. "But it is less flammable."

"I'm just glad you're coming." I said happily. I'd honestly thought I was going to be alone tonight.

"Yeah it should be fun." She said but then looked around and lowered her voice. "How bad do you think it would be if Chiron caught us sneaking out?"

"He won't." I said confidently. "He's never caught me before."

She gave me a searching look but then smiled.

"Alright. I trust you. Where should I meet you tonight?"

"Wait for me by your cabin at eight." I said knowing that if left to her own devices she'd get caught. "Then, when it's dark enough, we can make our way across the boundary."

"Alright." She said cheerfully.

We grabbed our food and went to sit at our respective tables and as breakfast passed, I couldn't help but think today was on track for being a pretty good day and to my surprise, for once I wasn't wrong.

Because it was a Sunday, and no activities were assigned to us, I got to do pretty much whatever I wanted. I played volleyball with Tess and her siblings, went to the beach for a little bit, and I tested Dennis's new vending machine passcode which really worked.

So, happily chewing on a chocolate bar, I made my way towards the Hephaestus cabin to see Tess leaning against the vault like door.

Like me, she'd swapped her camp attire for concert clothes, in this case a shirt with the blink 182 symbol and a dark high wasted skirt and black boots.

"Ready?" I asked grinning.

"Yeah." She said glancing at the sky which was holding on to the last vestiges of day light. "But I still don't know how we're going to get out of here without getting caught."

"You leave that to me." I said with a grin. "Just follow me, and keep up."

It really wasn't that hard to get out of camp, at night anyways. There were plenty of places to hide from staff members as you made your way to the boundary and wait until the coast was clear. There was one tricky bit however, where you had to cross in front of the Big House in order to get to the boundary, right passed Chiron's office's window.

"Alright." I said looking at Tess and keeping my voice low. "This is the last bit. Stay low and move as fast as you can, and above all, stay silent."

She nodded.

"You're going to go first, once you clear the window, bolt for the creek. Follow that until you hit a path. It should lead you straight to the road that runs next to camp ok?"

"Alright." She whispered.

"I'll be right behind you."

She nodded again then crouched and moved under the window while I glanced over my shoulder. No one was coming.

I ducked and followed Tess under the window, though she had a head start, I easily caught up to her before we reached the border.

"Gods your fast." She said panting and bending over trying to catch her breath. "Aren't you tired?" she asked looking up at me.

I shook my head.

"C'mon," I said looking over my shoulder back at the camp. "We've got to get out of sight."

We followed the little stream into the woods where we found the dirt trail that wound its way through the trees and I knew let out onto the road.

"So how did you find out about this path?" she asked me curiously as we walked.

I shrugged.

"Everyone knows about it."

"I don't think," she started but I clarified.

"Everyone in my cabin."

Sneaking out of camp was almost a right of passage for the Hermes campers. We'd all done it at least once.

"I'm surprised Austin hasn't told Chiron about it." she said looking around.

"He wouldn't." I said shaking my head. "While he tells us we shouldn't sneak out from camp, he knows it's just what we do."

"Yeah, maybe." She said shrugging. "So who do you think will be playing tonight?"

We started to discuss bands that we knew and hoped would be there tonight as well as guessed what songs they would play if they were. This topic carried us all along the path until we reached the edge of the woods where the trees opened up to the road.

"Don't get me wrong." Tess said holding up her hands in a non confrontational gesture. "I like their music, but can you get a more Hipster name than Flypaper suicide?"

"I think teddy bear legion is worse." I said shrugging.

"Yeah good point." She said.

We'd just made it to the road and I was about to ask if she'd be willing to hitch a ride if a car passed, when a sudden movement caught my attention.

"What's wrong?" she asked as I froze, staring at the shadowy figure that was approaching us.

We were out of the camp boundary now, which meant that it could have been anything from a monster to an extremely lost mortal.

Her eyes followed my line of sight and went wide.

I pulled off my necklace feeling a sword transform in my hand just as another came into being in the figure's, the faint glow of the celestial bronze illuminating his face. I was so shocked, I nearly dropped my weapon.

"Adam?" I asked in disbelief.

"Thea?" he asked sounding just as surprised, but that surprise quickly turned to anger when the reality of the situation hit him. "What the hell are you doing out of camp?"


	16. Chapter 16

Apov

Being a hero, you saw a lot of strange things on missions and quests, but never did you expect to run into another demigod.

"What the hell are you doing out of camp?" I asked furiously sheathing my sword and marching over to Thea, who'd also banished her weapon. Tess was with her.

"Going to a concert." She said shrugging.

That was apparent. She'd ditched her usual camp outfit for dark skinny jeans, combat boots, a leather jacket, and a tight white thank top over which the necklace her father had given her still glowed faintly.

"In the mortal world?" I asked indignantly.

"Obviously." She said and while the light was dim, I could tell she was grinning. "It's not like they host a battle of the bands at camp. It's a cool idea, but the Apollo kids would probably always win."

"This isn't a joke Thea." I said angrily. "Do you know how many monsters crawl the camps borders looking for away in?"

"You're out here." She pointed out.

"I'm on a mission."

"So are we." She said with a laugh. "We're on a mission to hear something other than Chiron's horrible opera."

"You need to go back to camp." I said looking around half expecting a hydra to spawn on the road.

"No." she said shrugging.

"Thea." I said in frustration. I looked at her friend Tess, who seemed determined to keep her mouth shut.

"Adam, we're going." Thea said stubbornly. "And there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"You want to bet?" I asked stiffly and she laughed which only angered me farther. "Thea, you're going back to camp even if I have to drag you and Tess back myself."

"I'd like to see you try." She said her eyes glittering.

"Before the swords come out, can I make a suggestion?" Tess said, finally deciding to speak.

We both looked at her.

"If we want to go to the concert, and Adam is worried about monsters, why doesn't he just come with us?"

"That's an excellent point." Thea said looking at me with a smile. "Why don't you?"

"Because…" I said frowning.

"Because what? You don't want to break any rules?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Tess and I are already out of camp, so it's not like you're helping us sneak out, and you're on a mission so you're not supposed to be at camp anyways."

"That's a technicality." I said.

"So what?" she asked rolling her eyes. "You'd be back by morning. But Tess and I are going to that concert, and if you don't want to come with us that's fine, but if you REALLY think we need protection then just come with us."

At this she grabbed her friend's hand and started marching down the street not waiting for me to answer. Tess looked over her shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow and I remembered what she'd asked before I'd left camp.

 _'What are you going to do?'_

I sighed and glanced at the woods which lead back to camp, then after Thea.

"Why does she do this stuff?" I asked irritated then followed her.

I walked behind the girls for half a mile not saying anything while they talked excitedly about the concert. I wanted to stay alert considering there were three of us, we were practically a demigod beacon going off for any monsters in the area, but I wasn't doing a very good job of it. Every once in a while Thea would laugh or toss her hair over her shoulder and I'd get distracted.

After another quarter of a mile, I was about to ask Thea how far away this concert was when she stepped off the road.

"Where are we going?" I asked frowning as we stepped back into the woods.

"It's just through here." She said confidently stepping around holes and tree roots, while Tess, who seemed to be struggling with the rapidly setting darkness, stumbled every few steps.

"Thea," I said after the fourth time I stubbed my toe. "If this is a joke it really isn't-"

But I cut myself off as we stepped out of the woods and on to a beach on the sound. A massive stage had been erected on the sand with strings of light bulbs strung between tents and band marquees that lit up the beach.

"What was that Adam?" she asked smirking over her shoulder at me, then, arm in arm with each other, the Thea and Tess continued to walk while laughing.

The "venue" was closed off by a low iron fence where security guards were posted every twenty feet or so.

"So," I asked. "Where do we buy tickets?"

"Buy?" Thea asked frowning as if this was a foreign concept to her.

"Yeah. You know, to get into the show. I don't have a ticket."

"Neither do we." Tess said.

"Then how do you plan on getting in?" I asked her and Thea gave me an almost pitying look.

"Just watch." She said giving Tess a significant look.

We moved towards the crowd of people waiting to get in and just as Thea made it to the back of the line, she tripped.

I blinked.

"What the?" I asked softly. Thea NEVER tripped.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." She stammered awkwardly to the man she'd crashed into. "I'm such a klutz."

"No problem." He said steadying her and apparently not noticing her hand drift into his jacket pocket.

"I feel like such an idiot." She groaned, and without breaking eye contact she with drew her hand which was now holding three slips of paper. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine." He said grinning and she slipped the tickets into her back pocket.

"Maybe I'll see you inside." She said winking at him then walking back to me with Tess.

"Three tickets." She said smirking at me, holding them up with evident pride.

"Give those back Thea." I said impatiently.

"Yeah that's not happening." She said sarcastically handing Tess a ticket which Tess guiltily accepted.

"I'm not going in there with a stolen ticket, and you aren't either."

"And what are you going to do exactly?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Cut them up?"

"No." I said plainly. "But I can tell one of the many security guards that your name isn't Edmund Potts." I said gesturing towards the tickets where the buyer's name was clearly printed on the top.

"Easily fixed, I'm Thea Potts." She said. "Edmund's my father."

"I'm pretty sure a quick ID check on that man will destroy your story." I said flatly. "He's going to wonder where his tickets went. Should I tell him?"

She glared at me.

"Why are you taking the fun out of this?" she asked irritated.

"Because it's stealing."

"So what?" she asked incredulously.

"Stealing is wrong." I said.

"Fine." She said in exasperation snatching the ticket out of Tess's hand and giving it to me. "Go give him his tickets back. I'll find a place where we can hop the fence."

"Why don't we just buy a ticket?" I asked.

"Because they're expensive." Tess said frowning.

"Yeah, and I didn't bother bringing my wallet." Thea said irritated.

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't think I need it." she said giving me a significant look.

I sighed.

"Fine." I said flatly. "I'll get the tickets."

"Don't bother." She said shaking her head. "We'll find a way in. C'mon Tess."

"Thea." I said grabbing her shoulder. "Don't."

"It'll be fine." She said rolling her eyes.

"I'll buy them."

"Adam, they're seventy-five dollars each." She said looking at me as if I were insane.

"That's fine." I said stubbornly and she gave me a critical look.

"You don't have to do that." She said eventually. "We can get in on our own."

"Not legally." I said.

"But what does that mat-"

"Think of it as a birthday gift." I said and she seemed stunned into silence.

"I didn't think you'd remember." She said eventually looking away from me. "Fine. If it really means that much to you."

"Thank you." I said rolling my eyes. "Meet me by the ticket counter, I'll return the tickets."

Thea didn't respond, she still looked a little wrong footed, so Tess stepped in.

"Alright," she said. "We'll see you there."

She grabbed Thea's arm and dragged her away while I went to the front of the queue which was being held up by the man Thea had stolen from, who was now frantically searching his pockets.

"Hey." I said and his eyes snapped on me. "Are these are yours? I think you dropped then when my friend bumped into you. I think she picked them up thinking they were ours." I held up the tickets which he grabbed gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks man." He said handing them to the guard who took the tickets stamped the back of his wrist.

I turned and started to walk away when he called.

"Hey! Wait up for a second!"

I turned to see him separate from the line and jog after me.

"What?" I asked suspiciously, wondering if he was a monster in disguise.

He was decent looking and seemed to be around twenty-five with short curly brown hair that was shaved close at the sides, and a sheepish expression.

"Your friend's pretty." He said sounding embarrassed. "Any chance you could give me her number?"

"She doesn't have a phone." I said feeling more than just a stab of irritation go through me. I was surprised to find this really angered me. "And she's seventeen."

His smile vanished.

"Oh." He said flatly. "She doesn't look seventeen."

"Well she is." I said darkly. "Stay away."

"Alright. Jeez." He said putting his hands up in surrender.

He walked away looking a little offended but went to join his friends on the inside of the venue while I walked the fifty or so feet to the booth where they were selling tickets.

I'd hoped that Edmund would be the last of my trouble tonight but it seemed as if I was wrong. He wasn't the only one who seemed to be expressing interest in Thea and while she was with Tess, who seemed to keep them at bay for some reason, they left her alone. The second she went to look at band T shirts however, they came out of the woodwork.

Thea wasn't above flirting with them either. In the space of about twenty minutes she'd gotten free drinks, a cup of fries, and three demo CDs that were being sold at the band tents.

"Would you contain yourself?" I asked irritated as yet another guy promised to comeback with a pretzel while the next band set up.

"What did you want something?" she asked taking a sip of a seven-dollar soda.

"No." I said sourly. "If I wanted something I would just buy it."

"Why would you do that when I could get you one for free, without stealing." She added.

"You're taking advantage of people." I said glaring at her. "They're only buying you this stuff because they think you're pretty."

"Need I remind you who YOU'RE dating?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out.

"Ok, you've got a point." I said. Crystal constantly used her looks to get things. "But that doesn't mean you should do it."

"Right." She said but it was clear she was only humoring me.

The crowd started cheering as a band called 'The Cherry Red Experience' introduced themselves and started to play.

"Oh I love this song!" she said excitedly grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the stage where we were almost separated by the crowd.

Over the next couple of songs, I found the irritated mood I'd seemed to settle in was starting to fade. I wasn't really a fan of the music, but there was something amusing about watching Thea jumping around, shouting the lyrics with the crowd.

"Why do you like this stuff?" I yelled down at her as the singer literally screamed the lyrics into the microphone.

"What you never had that one teenage rebellious band?" she shouted back.

"No." I said honestly looking around.

The crowd looked as if it were made of exactly that. Rebellious teens and adults stuck in that phase. Multi colored hair and dark clothes surrounded us, and I was pretty sure I was the only guy here with an actual hair cut.

"Well loosen up!" she shouted with a laugh. "You're as stiff as a board."

The chorus returned and she went back to shouting and jumping when, but suddenly, she stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked frowning, half expecting a gorgon to fall out of the crowd, but she shook her head and gave me a grin I wasn't sure if I trusted.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards a group of burley security men who seemed surprised one of the teenagers was talking to them. The biggest of them leaned down to hear her better and she gestured towards me. He glanced at me, looked back at her then nodded. Suddenly, he grabbed her.

"Thea!" I shouted in horror as he lifted her up and launched her, laughing, into the crowd.

I reached for my pocket, but before I could grab my sword, guards from behind grabbed me and I heard.

"You're next kid."

"What the-" I tried to struggle but they grabbed my arms and legs and the next thing I knew I was tossed over the crowd as well, I closed my eyes bracing for the impact but it didn't happen. Instead, dozens of hands caught me and started pushing me towards the stage.

Confused. Not entirely sure what was happening. I leaned my head back to see Thea not that far ahead of me, still laughing.

My stomach clenched when I reached a gap in the crowd and started to fall, but suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive man broke from the crowd and grabbed me.

"SEND HIM BACK UP!" he shouted and as if roused by a battle cry, several people gathered around me and threw me back over the crowd.

I made it to the fence in front of the stage, where security was waiting. One of the men grabbed me and set me back back on the ground and I turned to see Thea, who was still over the crowd, had started a trend. Several people were being thrown into the air and then carried to the stage. She gestured for the people to carry her in my direction and with one final push, she was tossed over the fence.

I darted forward and caught her before she hit the ground and she smiled up at me.

"Have fun?" she asked brightly.

"You could have given me a warning." I said looking down at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh lighten up Adam." She said as I put her back on her feet. "Are you seriously trying to tell me you didn't enjoy crowd surfing?"

"No." I admitted.

It had been pretty fun.

"C'mon." she said grabbing my hand and dragging me passed the row of security back towards the edge of the crowd. "We've got to find Tess."

We found her looking for us at the back of the venue. She'd gotten Thea a T shirt that read. 'It Wasn't Me (Ok, Maybe It Was)' which was the name of one of the songs played earlier.

Laughing, she hugged her best friend then put it on over her tank top, then dragged her back to the crowd no doubt to go for another round of crowd surfing. She'd asked if I wanted to join them, but I said no. I'd a noticed a boy on the other side of the venue who was staring at her, his eyes narrowed, as if he were trying to get a better look at her through the crowd.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck raise. Several guys had been eyeing Thea all night but not like this one. His eyes followed her as she pushed her way into the center of the crowd.

He started making his way in her direction, weaving between people to get to her and inwardly I cursed myself. I'd let myself get distracted. There were so many people here, any of them could have been a monster and now we'd added three demigods into the mix.

I reached into my pocket pulling out my pocket knife ready to transform it if I had to. The room was full of people, and as I pushed through the crowd I tried desperately to think of ways of trying to confront this guy without resorting to violence and drawing attention to us.

He'd almost made it to her now, but she hadn't noticed. Her back was to him as she watched and cheered on Tess who'd taken a turn crowd surfing. I quickened my pace, pushing people out of the way, still trying to find a way of intimidating him without an obvious show of force, but all thoughts of subtly were pushed from my mind when he reached out to grab her shoulder.

"Touch her and lose your head." I muttered pulling him back by his jacket and holding the blade to his throat.

"What the-" he said his eyes going wide staring down at it. Thea must have heard him because she turned.

"Adam! What the hell are you doing?" She hissed angrily forcing my arm down. "Put that away."

I did as she said, and the blade shrank back into a pocket knife, but I didn't take my eyes off the boy.

"I'm sorry about him," Thea said turning to look at the boy. "He's," but her eyes went wide suddenly with recognition. "Blake?"

"Hey Thea," he said grinning.

She laughed and tackled him into the hug.

"How've you been?" she asked letting him go. "God how long has it been?"

"Years." He said glancing nervously at me. "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"

"No," she said shaking her head and giving me a look that said 'be nice or else.' "This is Adam, he's a friend. He's a little intense."

"I can see that." He said holding his hand out to shake. "What's up dude?"

I ignored his hand and continued to glare at him.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked suspiciously. He looked like a real punk. Leather jacket, multi colored hair with piercings and tattoos.

"We went to school together." She said.

"Yep." He said putting his arm around her shoulders and beaming at her fondly which did not improve my opinion of him. "St. Mary's school for reformed youths. Not that this one ever did much reforming."

"Catholic school?" I asked her and she grinned.

"Ironic right?"

"What's ironic is you still managed to get expelled." Blake said with a laugh. "Number one in the state for troubled kids and they still kicked you out."

"You know that's not all that surprising." I said and Blake grinned.

"I see he knows you well. So where have you been all these years?" He asked turning to look at her curiously. "We all wondered what had happened to you after you got kicked out. Cassidy said you ran away. Is this where you ended up?"

But before she could answer, Tess had returned.

"Hey, I just checked the set list and there's one song left, but if you guys want to stick around a little after the concert I met a group of people who are setting off fire works on the beach." She said falling out of the sea of people, then spotted Blake. "Oh." She said blankly when she saw his arm around Thea. "Who's this?"

"Tess this is Blake." Thea said grinning while Blake looked at Tess with obvious interest. "We went to school together for a little while. Blake, this is my best friend Tess."

"Nice to meet you." Tess said politely as he retracted his arm from around Thea and shook Tess's hand.

"The pleasure's mine." He said smiling at her.

I felt an eyebrow rise, as Tess blushed and Thea caught my eye clearly thinking along the same line as I was.

"So you went to school with Thea?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah." He said with a slight laugh. "We used to get into all sorts of trouble together, but I guess that's your job now."

"Well we'll let you two talk." Thea said giving Tess a significant look, and motioning for me to follow her.

"Why are we leaving them?" I asked.

"Do the words third and wheel mean anything to you?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"There's two of us." I pointed out.

"Fine." She said rolling her eyes. "Third and forth wheels then."

"He's your friend."

"Yeah, and he thinks Tess is cute."

"So you're ditching both of them?"

"Do they look like they're complaining?" she asked looking over her shoulder at the two who were standing extremely close together. He said something and Tess laughed.

"I guess not." I muttered.

They continued to talk through the final song of the night, and the encore, and when we caught back up with them, Thea suggested we stay for the fire works which Tess happily accepted.

"So what did you even do to get sent to reform school?" I asked Thea. We were sitting on sand dune, several feet away from Tess and Blake who were still talking, waiting as a group of eccentric looking teens set up the fireworks on the beach.

"Which time?" Thea asked leaning back in the sand and putting her hands behind her head.

"You've been to more than one reform school?" I asked in surprise.

"I've been to three." She and while it was dark, I could hear the smirk in her tone. "But as for how I ended up at St. Mary's, well, I might have crashed a school bus into my school's auditorium."

"I'm guessing there's a story behind that." I said and she let out a short laugh.

"Hey, when monsters are attacking you need to get creative."

"What did Blake do?" I asked frowning wondering what kind of friends Thea had before coming to camp.

"Blake likes fire." She said sounding amused. "Unfortunately, his extracurricular activities became academic."

"What does that mean?" I asked confused.

"He started a fire at his school."

"And you left Tess with that delinquent?" I asked her incredulously.

"Tess likes delinquents." She said laughing. "Why do you think I'm her best friend? Besides, she doesn't need me to babysit her and Blake's a good guy."

"He just likes setting fire to buildings."

"We all have our flaws."

"I think arson is something more than just a flaw."

"Oh calm down." She said still sounding amused. "You always get so worked up."

I wanted to point out that this was something to be genuinely concerned about but I knew she would just laugh at me.

"What about you?" I asked curious despite the fact I knew I shouldn't be. "Do you like delinquents?"

"Of course." She said and I could hear her smile. "I am one, they make for exciting friends."

"I meant-"

"I know what you meant." She said cutting me off and I could her smile had faded.

"Well?" I asked when she didn't continue.

"No." she said eventually. "Unlike Tess I'm not interested in Mr. Not-so-right. Kind of the opposite really."

"Really?" I asked with interest. "That's surprising."

"Yeah, well, the heart wants what it wants right?" she asked quietly.

This seemed an odd thing to say, and I looked down at her.

"At least I'm mixing things up." She said with a sigh. "What about you? There couldn't be a more predictable girl for you if she'd been built in a lab."

"Predictable?" I asked frowning.

"Yeah." She said her tone difficult to place. "The strong, handsome hero and the beautiful, delicate damsel. I'm sorry but you and Crystal are a total cliché."

"You don't know that much about Crystal and I." I said frowning.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing." She said lightly. "It's just predictable. But if you're happy you're happy, that's all that really matters."

"Yeah I guess." I muttered.

We remained silent and the group on the beach finally got their act together enough to light the first fuse.

There was a loud 'crack' and the sky erupted into golden sparks.

I looked down at Thea who's face was occasionally illuminated by the fireworks. She either didn't notice or was ignoring me because her eyes never left the sky, but I couldn't help but remember talking to Kyle about making people happy. It hadn't occurred to me until now that surely the process was supposed to work in reverse. Surely if you were with someone, they were supposed to make you happy too.

Did Crystal make me happy?

I knew what I would answer if I was with her. I would say yes. I always liked Crystal when she was around, but not for the first time when I'd spent some time away from her and seemed to get my head straight.

I didn't particularly enjoy spending time with her, I know I thought I did when I was around her, but like Kyle said, I really didn't go out of my way to be around her. In fact, the majority of time when I thought about it by myself I dreaded alone time with her. She always seemed to be get angry about something, nothing was ever enough for her.

With Thea though, was a different story.

As impossible and frustrating she could be, I could honestly say I enjoyed being around her. She never expected anything from me, or asked me to be more than what I was. Out of everyone I knew who all had some sort of opinion about me, or who I should be, Thea seemed perfectly happy to just let me be me. It was a nice feeling.

Eventually the fireworks came to an end and we were forced to start heading back to camp to make it back before day light. None of us talked much on the way back. Tess was engrossed with texting Blake which annoyed me, but luckily attracted no monsters, and Thea seemed to be lost in thought.

We made it back to the cabins at around four in the morning and Tess turned in, but I hesitated, wanting to talk to Thea but not sure about what. It was she who broke the silence though.

"Thanks for the concert tickets." She said. "That was really nice of you."

"No problem." I said shrugging. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow during Greek lessons?"

"No." she said shaking her head. "That was temporary, Chiron was just trying to annoy me for a few days, I'll be back in the stables tomorrow."

"Oh." I said for some reason extremely disappointed.

"That's good for you though isn't it?"

"How?" I asked confused.

"Crystal won't be mad anymore."

"I'm sure she'll find something to be mad about." I said tersely and she looked as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

"Well." She said shrugging. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

"Night."

"Night Thea."

I watched her walk back in the direction of her cabin for a moment, then turned made my way to mine.

I dropped my mission gear on the floor when I reached my room and kicked it under my bed intending to go straight to sleep but paused when I heard a 'thunk'.

Confused, I bent down and looked under my bed to see my bag had knocked into an old dust covered box under my bunk that I had no memory of. Frowning, I reached under the bed and grabbed it. I placed it on the bunk and took of the lid, grinning as I realized what it was. In it was years worth of pictures, items, and awards I'd accumulated since coming to camp.

I laughed looking at the horrible macaroni art I'd been forced to do in arts in crafts before I filled that time teaching in the arena. There were ribbons for chariot racing and a basket ball tournament, both of which I'd won with Kyle, and I picked up a photo album. The pictures in it were pretty predictable. Photos of friends and events like the tournaments and capture flag teams and a few with Crystal when we were younger.

I stopped when I reached a photo that was much older than the others. It had faded slightly and although it had been years ago, I still remembered the moment as if it had happened yesterday.

I was standing next to Thea, my arm around her as we both grinned at the camera after my first time recovering the flag. It was the only time I'd ever been on the same team as Thea. We'd reached it at the same moment, but she let me take it knowing I'd never won before.

I grinned slightly, remembering thinking that since coming to camp, that weird, impulsive girl that I'd met in the Hermes cabin before I was claimed might be my first real friend. With this memory came a flood of others. She was the one who'd given me candy to trade with other campers when I had none, taught me what was the most valuable commodities were at camp, and had cheered me up by taking me to the roof of Cabin 11 to watch the stars, assuring me I'd be claimed soon, and that everyone found their place at camp.

"That was so long ago." I said quietly.

I'd almost forgotten how much time Thea and I had spent together when I'd first come to camp. Tess had been right. We'd always tried to sign up for activities together if we could, things like strawberry picking and spent free time training together in the arena.

When had all that stopped?

I tried to think back to a definite point, something that had happened between Thea and I that might have changed things, but I couldn't. I screwed up my face in concentration, but seemed to hit a wall. All I could remember now was my free time being spent with Crystal and her friends. It was as if Thea had faded from my memory, and it had been brought back by this picture.

I placed the picture back in the box, but at the last second changed my mind. Instead of putting it away, I stood and walked over to my mirror, and tucked the photo between the glass and the frame.

I didn't know why I did it. It was just a photograph, but it felt important to me. Maybe I was being silly, but suddenly remembering all those times, sitting with her at the campfire, keeping her awake during Greek lessons, and training with her in the arena, felt like a gift. I didn't want to forget them again.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm glad people are liking the story so far, hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

The next few days that passed were weird. I didn't spend much time with Adam but when we were together he seemed happier than usual. He'd taken to stopping and talking to me whenever we ran into each other which was something he hadn't done in years, and while Crystal was furious about it, he didn't seem to let it bother him. He didn't argue with her when she lectured him, in fact he didn't seem interested at all. I stumbled across one of their non arguments while walking with Dennis and Tess to letter writings and he raised an eyebrow when I caught his eye as if to ask.

'Can you believe this?'

I grinned but kept walking describing the best way to tackle T-handle locks with Dennis and helping Tess plan to sneak out for a date with Blake. He'd invited her to a party one of his friends was throwing in the city.

I encouraged this relationship for a number reasons, first and foremost because Tess had really liked Blake and I was excited for her. Neither of us had ever had a boyfriend before so it was an interesting and uncharted territory for both of us, and second because she was so distracted with Blake, she was far less curious about what I got up to on my own.

"This is going to hurt." Kyle warned. He put hand on my shoulder and another on my wrist as he lifted my arm and tested the range of motion.

"Just do it." I said biting inside of my cheek as pain radiated from my shoulder down my arm.

"We could go to the Big House." He offered. "They'd have something there that would help with the pain."

I shook my head.

"You sure?"

I nodded.

"Alright." He said uncertainly. He twisted my arm and I let out a shout when a sharp, cold pain shot through me as he quickly dislocated and then relocated my shoulder.

"Gods." I muttered shaking my arm as he let go. "That was unpleasant."

"You shouldn't have set it yourself." He said looking down at me annoyed. "You should have come to me."

"Yeah, well that wasn't an option."

"What do mean?"

"You can't exactly use a sword with a bum arm can you?"

"Thea, what are you doing?" he asked looking disgruntled. "You've been disappearing all week. No one knows where you're going."

"Don't worry about it."

"I am worried."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you keep getting hurt." He said indignantly. "No one gets as many monster injuries as you've been getting lately. Not even Adam. Are you looking for trouble?"

I grinned.

"That is what I'm known for isn't it?"

He wasn't amused.

"You know you're not half as funny as you think you are." He said sourly. "And you're lucky he hasn't seen this." He said gesturing towards my shoulder which I was now rotating, trying to work out the soreness. "Otherwise he'd have Chiron confine you to your cabin until you told him what was going on."

"I assure you luck had nothing to do with it." I said. I'd been very careful sneaking back into camp not to be seen by Chiron or any of the Heads of Cabins except for Kyle.

"You going to tell him?" I asked but I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I like my head attached to my shoulders." He said flatly. "If he knew I knew anything about what you're getting up to and didn't tell him, he'd be…"

"Irritated?" I asked.

"That's a polite way of putting it."

"He wouldn't do anything." I said shrugging and wincing.

"I'm not so sure." He said frowning.

"You're his best friend. Besides you know what he's like. He's not going to lose his head." Adam was always so careful to keep his emotions in check. I knew he was terrified of losing control and hurting someone with his powers. Maybe that's why he'd refused to engage with Crystal lately when she wanted to fight.

"Yeah, well he's never really been that level headed when it comes to you."

I wanted to ask what he meant by that but part of me was afraid to. Not for the first time I was conflicted about what I wanted.

"Well, you're done." He said after testing my mobility again and I slid off the couch in the Apollo common room. "You off to go lose a limb?" he asked and I grinned.

"I'm off to the vending machine. I hardly think that qualifies as life threatening."

I got a few wary looks as he and I entered the main hall, I wasn't exactly popular here but it didn't bother me. If I cared what other people thought I would have had a much harder time at camp.

As we stepped outside however, I was surprised to see that the summer weather that usually presided over the camp had vanished. A cool breeze rippled between the cabins, turning over the leaves of the near by trees in a way I'd associated with a storm. Several people, including Kyle and I, looked up at the clouds that had rolled over the valley threatening rain. There was only one thing that could have caused this. We all knew what it meant. The weather only changed when Adam was upset.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked looking at Kyle who frowned as thunder rumbled off in the distance.

"It's the anniversary." He said glancing at me and I felt my stomach shrink. A few years ago Adam had gone on a mission with two other campers. It was supposed to be simple, one of Apollo's sacred cows had wandered into the mortal world and they were supposed to locate it and keep it safe until the God could collect it, but things had gone disastrously wrong when they were ambushed a band of monsters. Adam was the only one to survive.

It wasn't the first time he'd been on a mission where someone had died, and while he'd always taken the loss of a fellow camper hard, this one was particularly difficult for him. It had been the first time he'd ever lost someone on a mission where he was in charge. No one blamed him for the death of the Athena girl and the Hecate boy, but that didn't stop him from blaming himself.

Lightening flashed over the camp and I glanced at Kyle.

"I'm surprised you're not with him." I said. "He shouldn't be alone."

"No one can find him." He said shaking his head. "I mean obviously he's still here," he said gesturing towards the sky as another breeze, this one colder than the last, picked up. "But I tried to talk to him this morning and he just wouldn't talk about it."

"Someone should check up on him." I said quietly.

"Why don't you?"

"Me?" I asked looking at him confused. "If he doesn't want to be around you what on earth makes you think he'd want to be around me?"

"I dunno." He said shrugging. "I just have a feeling if he'd talk to anyone it would be you."

I glanced at the sky, noting the direction the lightening was coming from.

"You know where he is don't you?" he asked shrewdly.

"I think so."

"Well, whether you go or not is up to you. I can't promise he's not going to freak out, but if anyone can deal with him right now it's you."

"What makes you think that?" I asked and he smiled slightly.

"You're the only one crazy enough to confront the temper of the son of Zeus."

Apov

One thing I hated about my powers, was how intertwined they were with my emotions. I was always paranoid about losing my cool and hurting someone, but even now when I was alone they wouldn't give it a rest. A storm was brewing over camp which was basically a giant flashing sign spelling out 'Go find Adam, figure out why he's upset.' It wasn't fair. So many people had tried to interrogate me today, enough that I'd ignored the consequences and decided just to skip my activities today. I didn't care if Chiron was angry with me. I didn't think I could stand another person asking me what was wrong.

Both Crystal and Kyle had tried talking to me today, but they weren't any help. I knew that they were trying to make me feel better but everything anyone said just made me feel worse. Guilt burned through me and I heard several girls shriek as it started to pour. Rain pummeled the camp as people ran for shelter but I didn't move. I didn't want to risk someone seeing me. Too bad the downpour had ruined the view.

"You stole my spot." Said a voice and I was unsurprised to see Thea sitting next to me. I hadn't heard her but that wasn't usual for the Hermes campers. Already her clothes and her long hair were drenched by the rain, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Sorry." I muttered as another clap of thunder rumbled above us. "You're right though, no one looks for you on a roof."

"Hiding from everyone?"

"Don't ask me why." I said bitterly.

"I know why." She said quietly and I could barely hear her over the rain hammering on the roof tiles. "And I don't blame you. If I were you I wouldn't want to talk to people either."

"Then why'd you come find me?"

"You are in my spot." She pointed out. "Who says I wasn't going to come up here anyways?"

"In the rain?"

"I'm saving time." She said shrugging. "Showering and enjoying the outdoors at once frees up a lot of my schedule. I'm a firm believer in multitasking."

I looked at her unsure if I wanted to laugh or be annoyed. Lightning forked above us but despite our lofty position she didn't look scared. She grinned as thunder cracked deafeningly above us.

"You trying to scare me off Kall?"

"I just want to be alone." I said tonelessly.

"You don't want to be alone Adam." She said softly.

"Really I-"

"You don't wanna talk about it." she said cutting me off. "But no one really wants to be alone."

She wasn't looking at me, but out over the camp her eyes out of focus, as if she could see something more than the rain.

"Is this the part where you tell me it wasn't my fault and I need to move on?" I asked bitterly.

"No."

"Why not?" I asked. It was what everyone else had done.

"Because I don't think you should tell people not to feel things." She said softly. "What's the point? Nothing I say will change the fact that you feel it, and some things you have to feel before you can move on."

"So then why are you here?" I asked.

"You already feel terrible. You shouldn't have to feel alone."

I was glad she wasn't looking at me. I had a feeling she knew it too, and it was why she hadn't. Thea had always been much better at knowing what people needed than I had. I saw it with how she treated her younger siblings, especially Dennis, her best friend Tess, and now me.

"So we're just going to sit here?"

"If you want."

"And you're not going to make me talk about it?"

"You will when you're ready. It could be an hour from now, or a year. You don't have to talk about it with me. But for now." She shrugged. "We can just sit."

I liked the sound of that. Not having to be alone but also not having to talk.

"Alright." I said quietly.

I shouldn't have done it, but I put an arm around her shoulder and I felt hers slide around my waist. I wasn't sure how long we sat together but as we did the rain started to slow. She didn't mention it, instead she'd started telling me about what her life was like when she lived with her mom. I listened, glad she didn't seem to expect a response from me. I actually found myself smiling a little when she'd started telling me about the first thing she'd ever stolen.

"Sorry." She said shaking her head. "This story isn't as interesting as I thought it was."

"No." I said quickly. "I'd like to hear more about little Thea the serial gum thief."

"Yeah, well, when the school found out where all the gum from the school store was going, and who was selling it to the rest of the students, I got called into the principal's office and my mother had to come have this long meeting." She grinned. "I think that might have been the point where she realized that out of all the traits of my father I could have gotten, it wasn't an affinity for delivering messages."

The rain had almost completely stopped now and as she smiled, the first ray of sunlight poked between the clouds.

"How'd she handle it?" I asked knowing how my mom would react if she'd been asked to meet with the principle. I repressed a shudder.

"She was really good about it." Thea said looking up at the sky. "She was a real softie. Told me I needed to be careful about what I did because it could ruin my reputation and I tried really hard to remember that but." She shrugged. "After she died there wasn't really anyone to let down you know? My aunt didn't want anything to do with me so what did it matter? I got through life doing what I knew how to do best."

"How many times did you run away?"

"I dunno. Five, six times maybe." She said shrugging.

"How'd you find out about the camp?"

"My dad actually." She said. "Every time I ran away he'd find me and convince me to go back to my aunt, but finally I told him I'd had enough and I wasn't going back and he said if I wasn't going to live with her then I should come here."

"My mom had it all planed out." I said reflecting on just how different my life had been compared to Thea's growing up. "She'd been telling me who my father was and about camp for years and what I needed to do here. She literally printed me an itinerary. Had Chiron send her the summer schedule in advance so she could plan summer course work and times for me to call."

"She sounds very organized." Thea said grinning.

"That's one way of putting it."

She glanced up at the sky and saw that the clouds were no longer dark gray but fluffy and white and the sky had returned to it's brilliant summer blue.

"Well." She said getting to her feet. "I think I'm going to go change into dry clothes. You?"

"I think I'm just going to stay here." I said feeling a little disappointed that she was leaving so soon.

"Alright. Want me to grab you anything for lunch?"

I shook my head wondering why I felt so anxious.

"I'll see you around." She said but when she made her way to jump off the roof I grabbed her hand, unsure why but feeling panicked and she caught my expression. I didn't want her to go. Not yet.

"Adam, what's wro-" she started but I caught her off.

"It was my fault." I said quietly feeling my lungs freeze and my throat close. "Everyone keeps telling me it wasn't but it was."

She looked down at me, but let the words I'd been so afraid of saying for so long now tumble out of me.

"I told them to leave, to let me deal with the monsters on my own but they wouldn't. They said I was the fastest and could get to the meeting point with Apollo and I had to go on while they guarded his cow. I flew as fast as I could but when I got back…" my voice faded. "I shouldn't have left them." I whispered and she knelt so that we were level.

"It wasn't your fault." She said quietly placing a hand on the side of my face in a comforting manner. "You did what you had to do. What any of us would have done. You didn't know about the ambush, and you had to warn Apollo so you guys could get out of there."

How many people had told me this? That I wasn't to blame for what happened and I wouldn't believe them. But her eyes met mine and for the first time I thought I might.

"If it's not my fault why do I feel like this?" I asked quietly.

"Because the best heroes don't measure themselves by what they've done." She said. "They're preoccupied with the times they think they've failed or how they could fail. They want to save everyone. But it's not possible Adam. Not even for the Gods. But that's what makes you a real hero, because you know that and it's never going to stop you from trying. That feeling of personal responsibility over everyone else's fate is what makes you so strong and it's going to hurt when something goes wrong, but you'll survive it."

"How can you be sure?" As guilt tore through me, threatening to rip me apart. I hated feeling like this. I wanted it to stop.

"Because that's what heroes do. They win some battles, they lose some, but they endure because they know that's what people need."

"What does that make you then?" I asked her. Thea had never needed saving. She was the one who was always sticking up for people who couldn't stick up for themselves no matter how badly she'd been treated because of it. For all her talk about heroes, I couldn't help but think it applied more to her.

"I think that depends on who you ask." She said with a grin. "What would you say I am?"

"I don't know." I said honestly. I don't think I'd ever really understood her but I wanted to.

"Well, let me know when you figure it out." She said her smile growing. She made to leave again but I surprised us both by saying.

"Please don't leave. Not yet."

"Why?" she asked sounding a little shocked.

"I just-" I started but I couldn't finish the sentence. It felt shameful to admit it but I was afraid that when Thea left she'd take the sunlight with her. I had no doubt that if I was left alone my dark mood would return along with the storm that had just left the camp.

She didn't seem to need the rest of the words however.

"Alright." She said quietly sitting next to me and I was surprised when she put an arm around me, but didn't push her away. I felt her hand gently direct my head to her shoulder and I obeyed it's pressure without conscious thought. I closed my eyes as her fingers ran through my hair in a calming motion.

I knew if Crystal saw me right now I'd be dead but I couldn't bring myself to care, not when for the first time in a long time I felt like I was where I was supposed to be.


	18. Chapter 18

Tpov

Adam and I spent the rest of the day on the roof of the Big House. I was surprised that he skipped all of his activities and even more shocked when stayed after lights out but he didn't seem that troubled by it. I didn't know what time we'd finally said good night but it was late, late enough that when I woke up the next day I couldn't justify going to morning activities to myself.

I slept through breakfast and would have happily slept through lunch but my stomach decided that wasn't going to be possible.

Groaning, I opened my eyes and rolled over, wincing when the light from the window hit my face. I glanced at the clock on my night stand and saw that it was free time. Lunch wasn't for another hour and a half.

Cursing, I decided to get out of bed and hit up the newly modified vending machine to see if Dennis's code still worked. I'd just changed into my usual shorts and camp t shirt and stepped into the common area where I saw Jessica wrestling with a brush that was caught in her hair.

"What on earth are you doing Jess?" I asked yawning.

"Failing." She said in frustration. She gave up and looked at me, the brush dangling from about half way through her hair where it seemed to be stuck. "I don't understand how the Aphrodite girls do it."

"Do what?"

"Braid their hair so nicely." She said hopelessly. "Uhg! Mine never does what I want it to."

I grinned.

"C'm here." I said amused gesturing for her to sit on the floor in front of the couch and I plopped down on to the cushions.

"Thanks Thea." She said as disentangled the brush then started to braid.

"Why do you want it tied back anyways?" I asked.

"Chiron's doing a special lesson for the younger campers in the arena during free time." She said excitedly. "A lot of us are going and I didn't want my hair to get in the way."

"Makes sense." I said tying off the first braid and working on the second side. "What's the focus?"

But before she could answer, someone stepped through the front door of the cabin and she giggled excitedly.

"Hey Adam!"

"Adam?" I asked frowning and looking up to see Adam was in fact looking into the common room.

"Hey." He said glancing at Jessica then looked at me. He looked tired and I knew that unlike me he probably hadn't elected to sleep in. No doubt Chiron had sent him to yell at me for skipping this morning's activities. "Chiron needs you."

"Why?" I asked trying off the second braid. "You're done Jess."

"Thanks!" she said brightly and scampered out of the room, out the front door, and no doubt towards the arena.

"He wants you to help today with training some of the younger campers." He said.

"Isn't that your job?" I asked. Adam and Derek were almost always in charge of teaching combat. They were the best fighters in camp.

"We're going over evasive maneuvers today." He said. "That's your specialty."

"Alright." I said shrugging and standing.

We started walking to the arena together and for a while neither of us spoke, but eventually he broke the silence.

"I didn't know you knew how to braid." He said eventually.

"What does it matter?" I asked wondering why he brought this up.

"I dunno," he said shrugging. "I guess I just never imagined you doing it. It's so… girly."

"You do know that I am a girl don't you?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I know you're a girl." He said frowning.

"So where exactly does the surprise come in?" I asked with a grin.

"Cuz you're not…"

But apparently what I wasn't was escaping him at the moment. He looked conflicted.

"I guess I'm just more used to see you using a sword than playing with hair." He said eventually.

"Why can't I do both?"

"I guess you can, it just never really occurred to me."

"I'm sorry if I broke your idea of gender roles." I said amused.

"Well now you're just making me sound archaic." He complained.

"You're the one who can't not separate people who can braid and people who can fight."

"It's just not a common combination." He said defensively.

"You know Austin used to braid my hair when I broke my hand a few years ago." I said. "Maybe you're the weird one."

"Because I don't know how to braid hair?" he asked sounding skeptical.

"It's a useful skill." I said shrugging.

"One that I would use a lot I'm sure." He said sarcastically gesturing towards his short hair.

"You know I'm detecting a bit of sass over there."

"You started it." he said stubbornly.

"Story of my life." I said laughing and he smiled as we entered the arena to see a small crowd of very small campers.

"Excellent." Chiron said and I saw he was in full battle armor with his bow and quiver at the ready. "You've arrived."

He then turned to face the crowd.

"Today we will be focusing on combat evasion and defense. A specialty of our own little Miss Thea Reign."

I waved sarcastically at the campers and I saw Kevin laugh. He nudged Jessica, leaned closer to her, and whispered something to which she smiled.

"It is essential that you learn these elements of battle, especially seeing is how young you all are. At your age is unlikely if you were forced to confront an opponent that you would be able to win the fight. Fighting monsters require a great deal of strength and skill that takes intense training to develop, at your level you need to be able to protect yourself and wait for a chance to escape or get help rather than go on an outright assault."

He fit an arrow into his bow and with a sigh I started walking towards the end of the arena.

"I hate this demonstration." I muttered. I knew this was his way of indirectly punishing me for all the crimes he knew I committed but couldn't prove.

"Chiron. What's going on?" Adam asked sounding concerned but we both ignored him. It occurred to me that he might not have seen this lesson before. He wasn't exactly a defensive fighter. Adam was strong enough to eliminate his enemies before they had much time to inflict a lot of damage on him. He was much more likely to go charging into a fight and worry about injuries later than try and avoid them.

"Well Thea?" Chiron asked. "Would you prefer me to lecture them before I shoot you or during the barrage?"

"Let's just get this over with gramps." I said rolling my eyes and he grinned.

"You asked for it." He said pulling back the bowstring.

"Chiron what the HELL-" Adam started but before he could even finish Chiron had let the arrow fly and it was headed straight for me.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched the arrow move closer to me inch by inch and I easily darted out of the way.

"Now the key to a good defense is mainly about two things." Chiron said letting another arrow fly which I easily dodged as well. "Speed and anticipation. You need to read what your opponent is going to do and your defensive move must be fast enough to beat his or her offensive attack. And as you can see here." He said as I caught the third arrow out of the air and taunted him with it with a smirk. "Young Thea here is a master of both." He pulled back the bowstring again. "Now considering who her father is, Thea will always be a little bit faster than the average Demigod, but you get the picture. Now Thea," he said shooting again. "When you're defenseless and under fire, what's the most important thing to do?"

"Be aware of your surroundings." I said diving behind the weapons rack and grabbing a shield and rolling back to my feet.

"That's correct." He said shooting at me again and I let this arrow hit the shield. "Speed and agility are very important in battle and you will work on both while you are here, but you must also learn to gain a battle sense, and learn to use your surroundings to your advantage. In the real world when you are weaponless there's almost always something that you can use in it's stead, but generally even more things can be used as a shield and at your current level, the difference between a weapon and a shield can the difference of life or death. You always want to pick the shield. It's much easier to find a weapon after you've found a shield than it is to find a shield after you've been cut open."

I noticed several of the younger campers winced but most of them were looking at me in amazement.

Chiron notched another arrow but to everyone's surprise, Adam shouted.

"Ok I think they get it!"

I was so shocked, I looked over at him. He looked panicked, but I knew from his wide eyes and when Jessica screamed, "Thea watch out!" that it had been a mistake.

Chiron, who hadn't expected me to look away, had fired another arrow. I turned back to face him only to have everything slow down again, but the arrow was much closer than I'd ever let it get before.

It was inches away from my face before I reacted and just as I managed to throw myself out of the way, I felt a sharp stinging across my cheek as the tip of the arrow cut into my skin.

"Thea!" several people shouted as my side hit the floor of the arena.

I heard the arrow hit the wall right where I'd been standing with a sickening 'crack' and pushed myself up feeling my heart pounding rapidly.

"Are you ok?" someone asked and I expected to see my siblings above me, but was shocked when my eyes met a pair of dark blue ones.

Adam was kneeling next to me while Jessica and Kevin were running in our direction. He turned my head to the side as I sat up to check the cut. I felt warm drops of blood sliding down my cheek which was stinging pretty bad, but I ignored them.

"It looks shallow." He said as, panting, my siblings reached us. "Here," he ripped off part of his sleeve and folded it into a square. "Press that to the cut."

I did as I was told feeling blood soak through the fabric, but I wasn't worried. Head wounds bled a lot making them seem much worse than they actually were.

"What was that?" He said angrily, looking back at Chiron his voice shaking.

"It's no big deal…" I muttered but he ignored me.

"That was my final point to the demonstration." He said somberly looking at me. "Never lose focus. One moment of distraction can be the one opportunity your enemy needs. No matter how fast you are out on the battle field, your worst enemy is your own negligence. You can't out run yourself."

"So you knew she wasn't paying attention and you shot at her anyways?" Adam yelled.

"Adam, I'm fine." I muttered while Jessica handed me some of the ointment our father gave her for her last birthday. It had the ability to mend any flesh wound.

"She's alright." He said with a shrug.

"But what if she wasn't?"

"But she is." He said shouldering his bow. "Don't underestimate Thea Adam." He said giving Adam a significant look. "You're not the only powerful demigod in the camp you know."

I applied the ointment to the cut and immediately felt it begin to heal.

"You two will continue this lesson on your own." Chiron said walking back out of the arena. "Adam, help Thea with the rest of the demonstrations. I expect this unit to last at least a week."

"But-" Adam started uncertainly but Chiron cut him off.

"My mind is made up." He said not looking back from the exit. "You and Thea will instruct the younger campers in defense over the next week and that's that. Unless you'd like to lose your ability to play in Friday's game."

He watched after Chiron looking as if he wanted to say something, but I knew he wouldn't. Adam respected authority too much to talk back when Chiron's decision was final.

He sighed and looked back at me. I knew what he was thinking. Crystal would be furious when she found out we were teaching lessons together again. She couldn't stand it if I was even seen around him, let alone working with him. He didn't say any of this though.

"Are you alright?" he asked glancing at my cheek which I knew by now must be almost healed.

"I'm fine." I said blushing and avoiding his eye.

"He shouldn't have shot at you." He said angrily his voice deeper, and his tone as grave as his scowl as he reached out to inspect the nonexistent wound. "You could have gotten seriously hurt."

"Oh don't give me your hero voice." I said irritated pushing him away while my stomach tightened. He always used it when he wanted to sound important and in charge. It was the kind of voice you expect prince charming to have and it was irritating me. "I'm fine, I can take care of myself."

"Thea-"

"I said I'm fine." I said in exasperation. I got to my feet and walked away from him. It was much harder to pretend not to care about what he thought about me when he was expressing concern. "Let's just move on with the lesson ok?"


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you for all the feed back! It really helps motivate me to keep posting I really appreciate it!

~secrethalfblood

Apov

"You screwed up." Kyle said sitting next to me on the bench outside my cabin and watched as campers passed.

"I'm aware of that." I said calmly seeing a couple of pretty Hecate sisters walking by, giggling when they spotted Kyle and I.

One of the girls pointed at me and whispered and while I couldn't hear her, I knew exactly what they were talking about. My little freak out at Chiron didn't stay in the arena. The story spread like wild fire and soon it seemed like that's all people in camp seemed to want to talk about. Of course it didn't take long for Crystal to find out and when she did, she was furious. She'd screamed at me for twenty minutes then went off to no doubt flirt with as many boys as she could but I found I didn't care that much.

"What are you going to do?" he asked glancing side ways at me.

"Nothing." I said shrugging.

"You realize your relationship might be over this time." I said. "Like really over. I don't see her getting over this."

"If she doesn't, she doesn't." I said.

The strange thing about my relationship with Crystal was how apathetic I could be about it. Sometimes when I was with her I felt like I really liked her. I felt like I would do anything to make it work, but when I took a step back and cleared my head, and really looked at her insane behavior, part of me wondered if I wouldn't be happy if it ended.

"You really don't care?" he asked curiously.

"Nope." I said staring dead ahead.

"Alright." He said with a nod and a moment of silence passed between us.

"Do you like her?" he asked eventually.

"Crystal?" I asked. "I don't even know anymore."

"Well, actually I was talking about Thea." He said frowning.

"Why?" I asked in surprise.

"Everyone heard about the freak out." He said. "You never talk back to Chiron."

"He shot at her!" I said in indignantly.

"So?" he asked frowning. "We shoot at each other all the time. Hell, in capture the flag we try to kill each other with swords. The Hephaestus cabin uses grenades."

"That's different." I said darkly. "In capture the flag we wear armor, it's a fair fight. She was defenseless."

"You do realize who you're talking about right?" he asked dubiously. "The last thing I would call Thea is defenseless. Just because she doesn't have flashy powers doesn't mean she can't take care of herself. She could beat half this camp with her hands tied behind her back, and besides, Chiron's done that demonstration a million times. Do you seriously think he'd hurt a camper?"

I didn't answer him but thought back to the feeling I'd had when I'd seen the arrow heading straight for Thea's face. Like ice had gone through me and someone had punched the air out of my chest. I'd almost died more time than I could count, that was a hazard of going on quests, but I'd never felt like that before. Watching in horror, almost as if in slow motion and able to do nothing. I'd felt absolutely powerless. I didn't want to feel like that again.

"I don't think anyone's seen you that angry before." He continued not looking at me but I could tell by his body language he was intrigued. "Especially about a training demonstration where nothing actually happened."

"That doesn't mean I like her." I said stubbornly.

"True." He said. "But you can't pretend that she doesn't mean anything to you, at least not anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked frowning at him.

"Look you might be able to hide it from everyone else, but I'm your best friend." He said with a slight grin. "I know you like her."

"I don't-"

"I'm not saying you're in love with her." He said interrupting me in exasperation. "But you do have a soft spot for her. You always have. Why do you think Crystal hates her so much?"

I guess that made sense. It would explain why she freaked out so much today, even with nothing happened but still. If this was how she was going to act just because I had even the slightest bit of affection for a girl that wasn't her, I wasn't sure I wanted to be around Crystal anymore.

"And so what if I do?" I asked stubbornly and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Don't bite my head off." He said with a laugh. "I'm not judging you for it. I like Thea. I think she's pretty cool."

"You do?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah." he said grinning. "She's hilarious. Keeps things from getting boring."

"That's for sure." I muttered.

"Adam?"

We both looked up to see Crystal walking up to us alone and looking a little sheepish, two things that very rarely happened.

"What?" I asked and I heard the ice in my tone.

"Can we talk?" she asked softly.

"Good luck man." Kyle said clapping a hand on my shoulder then standing up and walking away.

"What do you want?" I asked looking at Crystal keeping my voice calm but feeling my insides burn with anger.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." She said not looking me in the eyes but at her feet.

"You called me a useless loser who cheats like my father." I said angrily.

"I didn't mean it."

"You still said it."

"I was angry." She said looking at me.

"Well that makes two of us."

She looked as if she wanted to say something nasty but thought better of it.

"It's just not fair." She muttered angrily. "Why does it always have to be her?"

"What do you have against her?" I asked in frustration. "She hasn't done anything to you. Plenty of girls flirt with me and you don't get mad at them. Thea hardly even talks to me and you act as if she's throwing herself at me."

She didn't answer this but glared at the ground.

"Why do you care so much about Thea?" I asked with a tired sigh.

At this she made an irritated noise.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." She said but I could tell that wasn't true. Something was bothering her.

"You can't keep going crazy like this." I said.

"I know." She said quietly.

"You've been doing it for too long, I've had enough."

"I know alright?" she snapped, but when she looked up, her expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry, I really am. Can you forgive me?"

Her eyes met mine and just like it always did, the affection I felt when she was around came back. Five minutes ago I thought I was done with her, but now, I wanted to make things work. It was possible, and she did say she was sorry…

"Yeah." I said uncertainly and she smiled.

"Good." She said pulling me into a hug and for a moment, it felt like things were back to normal, but then movement caught my eye and I looked up to see Thea walking out of Cabin 11. She didn't react when her eyes met mine, simply looked away and continued going to do whatever she'd been doing looking totally unaffected, but something inside me had changed. The affection I'd felt was gone, and holding on to Crystal just felt wrong.

I let her go uncertain what to feel.

Her eyes flashed and part of me wondered if she knew, but then said.

"Dinner doesn't start for another half an hour if you want to go to your room."

She gave me a seductive smile.

She didn't wait for an answer but pulled me by the hand into my cabin.

I wasn't sure why I followed her, maybe just because it was easier than resisting, but as I reached the stairs I couldn't help but try and think of excuses.

The second the room door closed she kissed me.

As she pulled me closer, I tried not to think of Thea but it was impossible. Memories of her were flooding through me, sitting with her on the roof of the Big House, watching the fire works with her on the beach, laughing with her as we walked to activities in my first few weeks of camp.

I pushed Crystal away, everything about this felt wrong.

"What are you doing?" she asked angrily.

"I-" I started but cut myself off. I wasn't sure.

I turned away from Crystal feeling at war with myself, as if two parts of me were fighting, had been fighting for a long time and I was just now realizing it. Everything I'd ever felt about Crystal was colliding with how I felt about Thea, and the latter was winning.

"Adam?" she asked sounding a little afraid. "Adam what's wrong? Hey, look at me."

I shook my head. For the first time in years I felt like I really was thinking clearly and I knew that would vanish the second I looked at her.

I caught my reflection in my mirror. I looked confused and my eyes landed on the photo in the corner.

"But what-" she started but her voice faded.

She'd seen the photo as well.

"What is this?" she asked coldly crossing the room and taking the picture from the frame.

"What does it look like?" I asked defiantly. "It's a photo of friend."

"A friend?" she asked acidly.

"Yeah." I said for once standing my ground against her. "Thea is my friend, and honestly, I don't really care if you like it or not."

"You think that she's your friend?" she asked so was so furious she didn't look remotely beautiful. She looked deranged. "You really that's what she is to you? Gods Adam you are so STUPID!"

"What?" I asked confused.

"How after all these years could you still be this oblivious?" she shouted at me. "Even from my first day at camp I could see it, everyone could, but you're such an idiot you thought that obnoxious little thief was your friend."

I tried to follow what she was saying but none of it made sense.

She glared at the picture, as if it's very existence was insult to all thing decent.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and she looked at me with a mixture of anger and distain.

"It doesn't make sense." She said in frustration. "I thought I could control it."

"Control what?" I said feeling unaccountably angry she didn't seem to notice though, she was still ranting.

"What do you see in her Adam? What could you possibly like about her? You're a hero, she's a thief. It doesn't make sense! I thought if I kept you away from her it would go away but-"

"What?" I asked furiously and her eyes went wide. Obviously what she'd just said, wasn't meant to come out.

I felt sparks fly from my fingertips and she took a step back.

"Adam." She said nervously. "You don't understand. You and Thea just don't make sense."

"No." I said angrily. "What doesn't make sense is how I ever could have been attracted to you!"

This seemed to stun her into silence.

"All these years you had me running around after you, doing whatever you wanted. And I don't even know why!" I said running my hands through my hair.

"But Adam." She said desperately. "You don't understand."

"Just go away." I said bitterly. I was starting to lose my temper and thunder rumbled in the distance, and outside the window I could see clouds were gathering above the cabin as lighting flashed.

"How could you choose her over me?" she asked furiously.

"How?" I asked with a furious laugh. "You're a terrible person. You're shallow, you're mean, and now you're telling me you were actively keeping me from the first person in this camp that made me feel like this place was home!"

I started at her, whatever spell I'd been under for so long had been broken.

"Thea might be rough around the edges but she's never pretended to be something she isn't. She actually cares about other people. She's loyal. But you. All you care about is yourself. You don't care if you hurt people as long as you get your way. You spend all this time on your appearance, but you never change the person inside of you. And you know what?" I asked glaring at her. "She's ugly."

'SMACK!'

I felt a cold stinging on the side of my face and I stared at Crystal in blank shock as my skin began to tingle and burn.

She put her hand over her mouth and looked at me in horror.

"Adam." Crystal said her voice shaking and her eyes wide as she realized what she'd done. "I'm, I'm sorry."

I touched the side of my face where she'd slapped me, feeling strangely calm.

"Get out" I said softly.

Something was changing in my mind. As I stared at her, her make up looked too much, her clothes too flashy, everything about her was way too much.

"I was angry." She said stumbling over the words as they poured out guiltily. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

She reached out to touch the mark I knew would be bright red now, but I grabbed her arm and her eyes went wide.

"Don't touch me."

"Adam…" she said tears filling her eyes.

"We're done." I said coldly dropping her arm.

"No." she said weakly.

"Fore real this time."

"No!" she said again tears sliding down her cheeks but I felt no pity.

"Leave." I said quietly.

She looked at me, still horrified.

"The door's that way." I said gesturing to it and after one final glance, she left dropping the picture of Thea and I on the way out.

I watched her go feeling a strange sense of clarity. I wasn't angry or upset, finally ending it with Crystal didn't feel like I thought it would. I wasn't miserable at all. I felt free.

I crossed the room picked up the picture and looked at it. For the first time in a long time I felt like the kid standing, smiling next to his friend.

I put the photo back in the mirror, checked my watch and saw it was time for dinner.

Knowing I'd regret it if I didn't eat, I made my way out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the cabin my mind still reeling from what had just happened. I made my way to the dining pavilion hardly noticing that several people were staring.

"Adam!"

I looked up to see Kyle jogging towards me looking concerned.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, he looked like he half expected me to say I'd been under attack.

"We all heard the thunder," he said frowning. "And Crystal just ran off crying."

"Oh." I said feeling a little dazed. "Yeah we broke up."

"What?" he asked, obviously stunned. "Why? What happened?"

I frowned trying to sum up what had happened.

"She slapped me." I said and his eyes went wide. "And I finally woke up."

….

That night I had a weird dream.

 _I was surrounded by tall dark walls that rose at least twenty feet into the air. I tried to fly above them to see where I was but found I couldn't. My powers felt weaker for some reason and as I walked along the narrow corridor they created I started to feel anxious. Just as I was certain it led nowhere and I was trapped, the hallway opened to show a massive vault at it's end. It was as tall a building and glowing a bright bronze in the gloom._

 _I heard familiar mischievous laughter and saw Thea in plain clothes, sitting on top of the vault grinning down at me. She dropped in front of the door as it started to open and gestured for me to follow her but when I reached out for her she vanished and so did the walls around me. I was surrounded by darkness and the laughter that was echoing around me was no longer Thea's. It was insane._

 _Suddenly, I was in a scene in which I could only describe to be an accurate depiction of hell. Lakes of lava surrounded me while craters shot jets of flame fifty feet into the air out of the blackened and cracked earth._

 _"Adam!" Thea screamed._

 _I turned to see she was stranded, holding on to a cliff above an ocean of spikes and fire. There was a deep rumbling as the world shook and the earth began to crack._

 _"Thea!" I shouted running after her, hurtling off the crumbling ledge desperate to reach her outstretched hand._

 _Her eyes met mine, wide and terrified._

"THEA!" I shouted sitting bolt upright in bed, panting, drenched in sweat.

"Yes?" someone answered and I looked over at my window to see it was open and she was sitting on the sill. Her was back resting on the frame of the window as she was looking up at the moon.

"W-what are you doing here?" My heart was still beating rapidly. I felt disoriented. Thea dream had felt so real.

"I came to check on you." She said eventually turning back to me. "Everyone heard what happened. Kyle says you're not talking to people," she shrugged. "But I thought maybe you'd talk to me." She looked at me in concern. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah." I said rubbing the back of my neck. "Wait, how did you get in here?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Stupid question I guess." I said quietly.

We sat in silence for a second where she looked back up at the moon and was uncharacteristically reserved.

"Look." I said after a while and her gaze slid back to me. "I appreciate you coming, breaking in and all," I said and she grinned slightly. "But I really don't want to talk about this."

"Fair enough." She said shrugging and making to slide off the sill.

"It's just," I said and she froze then looked back at me. "Do you know what it's like to have something with someone and realize it's not what you thought it was?"

She didn't answer this, but I could tell by her expression she did.

"It's just, after she did that." I said touching the point where Crystal had hit me. "It was like something changed. Like I saw her as a totally different person, she even looked different. It was like some part of me woke up and now I don't know if she was always like that, or if she became that way over time, but it was not who I thought I was dating. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She frowned and seemed to weigh her words carefully before speaking.

"When it comes to Crystal as a person, guys will always be at a disadvantage judging her character. She's too beautiful and too powerful for you to be thinking clearly and she knows it. But some things are too ugly to go unnoticed forever, and I think her hitting you kind of woke you up to that."

"So you think she was manipulating me?" I asked and she shrugged.

"She manipulates everyone. She has from the first day she got here and you were the biggest prize she could win. She's a selfish person, and I think your relationship brought out the worst of it. When she slapped you that kind of made up your mind that it was over right?"

"Well yeah." I said.

"Well if you're not attracted to her, her powers won't work on you. Not very much anyways. So, in away, she kind of brought you to your senses."

"How do you know that?" I asked her in amazement and she looked back up to the sky with a sigh.

"You'd be surprise what people say without looking up to see who's around them."

"So you heard her?"

"I hear a lot of things." She said cryptically still not looking at me. What was her deal tonight? "But yes. I heard her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her a little indignantly.

"It wasn't my place." She said shrugging and this time she did look at me. "Even if I said something you wouldn't have believed me would you? She would have just told you I was trying to get with you and was intentionally sabotaging your relationship."

"That does sound like her." I muttered and she smiled slightly, but then a thought occurred to me. "So, do you just like go around listening in on people?"

"No." she said. "I just happen to hear a lot when I'm doing my own thing."

"And you just keep it to yourself?" I asked her.

"What else am I supposed to do with the information?" she asked and I stared at her.

Crystal spent half her time, no, more than half of her time, trying to get the best gossip to hold over people while they were here at camp to try and make them do things for her. And there she was, actively despising her best possible resource. The irony was almost too much.

"And you didn't once tell Crystal this stuff to try and get her to stop turning people on you?"

"I don't really care what Crystal does." She said shrugging. "She seems like a very unhappy person."

"But she was awful to you." I said frowning.

"Yeah, and look where it got her."

"You know you're weird." I said frowning at her and she smiled again, eyes fixed on the sky. "Who knew the thief would be so wise."

"Just because I'm a kleptomaniac doesn't mean I can't give good advice." She said with a bit of a laugh. "I know the right thing to do, I just can't do it myself."

"That has got to be the biggest cop out I've ever heard." I said amused.

"What?" she asked sitting up and swinging her legs into my room.

"You could totally do the right thing. You just don't want to."

"Easy for you to say." She said with a scoff. "Your dad is the God of justice. Doing what's right is in your blood. My dad on the other hand, well, he isn't exactly Johnny Cub Scout."

"That's not an excuse." I said shrugging.

"Sure it is. Me doing the right thing is like trying to get you to break a rule."

"But you see that's not fair."

"Why not?"

"Because it's like you want me to do a bad thing, but people have rules for a reason."

"What does this have to do with how easy it is or not?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"You're supposed to do what I do." I said. "Not following the rules isn't normal you know, it's not natural to not do what everyone else does."

"You think I'm not normal?" she asked quietly, her expression hard to read.

"No." I said quickly. "No. What I meant to say was that you're just different."

"So… not normal." She repeated she said still with that weird expression.

"No, well ok." I admitted. "You're not normal. But I didn't say that was a bad thing."

"You made it pretty clear you thought it was a bad thing." She said looking outside again.

"But I like that you're different." I said and she looked at me in shock, her expression had changed.

She seemed to consider me for a moment, but didn't say anything, just leaned her back against the frame and looked outside again.

"You know, you always surprise me." She said quietly.

"Me?" I asked in blank shock. Out of the two of us, she thought I was unpredictable?

She nodded.

"How does that make sense?" I asked. She was always getting into trouble doing things people wouldn't expect.

She seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Because people have this idea of you, smart and strong and the perfect hero. They always think they know you just because everyone talks about you. They all think they know what you're about. But I've noticed something about you." She said her eyes narrowing slightly. "You keep everything locked up in your head."

"What does that mean?" I asked confused.

"I mean nobody is as perfect as you are." She said frowning. "You do what you're supposed to, dating the pretty girl, being the camp hero, never breaking any rules or having any fun, and everyone thinks that's just because that's who you are, son of Zeus and all. But I don't think it is. I think you do it because that's what people have told you that's what you're supposed to be."

"What makes you think that?" I asked a little angrily.

"Because if you were, you wouldn't be friends with me." She said her eyes still narrowed in thought.

"Of course I would."

"No you wouldn't." she said shaking her head and finally setting her feet on my floor and standing. "You wouldn't be friends with the biggest rule breaker in the camp part of you secretly didn't want to give it a try."

I didn't answer this, but I felt my pulse quicken as she stepped closer.

"Come on." She said walking towards my door and gesturing for me to follow her.

"What? Why?"

"You just went through a break up. There's a restaurant not that far down the road from camp that has the best food for miles."

"We can't just leave camp!" I said indignantly.

"You can't get a burger here either." She pointed out.

"It's the middle of the night!"

"So?"

"So." I said my mind scrambling frantically as I continued to draw a blank. "So it's against the rules. What about monsters and all of that? They're crawling all over the borders of this place, just waiting for a demigod to get out.

She did smile at this

"We're two highly trained demigods, and you're the son of Zeus. I think we'll be fine."

"What if we get caught?"

"Do you really think I don't know how to get out of here without getting caught?" she asked giving me a dubious look.

She had a point.

"Still…" I said uncertainly.

"Look." She said shrugging. "You do what you want, but if there's one thing I know, nothing heals heart ache like ice cream. And this place has the best milkshakes."

"I don't have heart ache." I said irritated.

"It's up to you." She said waving her hand in a carefree manor while walking out the door.

I watched her go for a second, then swore, grabbed a shirt and went after her. I felt my heart skip as I walked down the stairs and out of the cabin door into the night, and she smiled at me.

"Ready boy scout?" she asked the mischievous glitter back in her eyes.

"Why am I doing this?" I asked looking over my shoulder as my cabin grew smaller and I followed her towards the woods. "You know you're a terrible influence."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She said amused.

"It is a bad thing." I said keeping my voice low. "It's a very bad thing."

I saw her smile.

"I prefer to think of myself as fun."


	20. Chapter 20

Now that break is over I probably won't be able to upload quite as often but I'll try to upload as quickly as possible. Hope you like the latest chapter!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

We didn't have any trouble getting out of camp or to the restaurant. I wanted to hitch hike, but Adam flatly refused so we walked along the road making sure to keep our weapons ready incase we ran into monsters.

He was quiet for most of the trip but this wasn't unusual for him, but when we finally made it to the restaurant he spoke.

"Thea, this place is a dump." He said when he spotted the small rundown building off of the side of the road. The roof was missing a few tiles and the walls could have definitely used a new coat of paint, but I threw him a reproachful look.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." I said defensively, but he frowned as we as we walked towards the restaurant. Our feet crunched in the gravel of the parking lot and the neon letters that spelled 'open 24 hours' in the windows flickered, causing our skin to glow red as I placed my hand on the door. "It's got good food, I promise."

"If you say so." He muttered but nevertheless, he followed me in.

The interior looked just as shabby as the outside. The lightning was dim and most of the tiles in the checkered floor as well as the posters that lined the walls were yellowing with age. I could see Adam look uncertain, but I ignored this and walked into the main part of the room. He'd get over it.

"Thea!" a voice said in welcome and we looked up to see a tall, slightly overweight man with dark hair and a broad smile greeting us from behind the diner. "Good to see you again," he spotted Adam behind me and looked a little taken a back. "Oh, who have you brought with you?"

"Ronald, this is my friend Adam."

"Ah, the one who goes with you to camp." he said slyly and I regretted many of my late night conversations with him over the years. I'd always used Ronald as a sort of outlet, he was a good listener and an outsider that I could talk to about Adam without it coming back to haunt me at camp. Never once did I imagine Adam would actually be here.

"That's the one." I said nodding a little awkwardly while Adam, who hadn't noticed any of this, muttered.

"You told them about camp?"

"Relax will you?" I asked making my way to my favorite booth. The cushions were leaking their stuffing and it was all the way in the back, but it was an ideal place to see all of the restaurant while remaining hidden behind several tables and lamps. If any monsters walked in we'd know right away. "They don't know what it actually is."

"I can't believe this place is still open." He said looking around as we sat. "It's got to be three in the morning."

"Yeah, that's what twenty for hour means." I said smirking and he threw me an annoyed look.

"Why is it twenty four hours?" he asked. "Seems a little shady don't you think?"

"They get consistent business from travels who are lost and get hungry while trying to find their way back to the interstate." I said easily. "Will you stop thinking everything is a death trap?"

"We're demigods." He said sourly. "Everything IS a death trap."

I rolled my eyes and a cute boy with gelled black hair and dark eyes came to the table giving me a significant smile.

"Back again Thea." He said with a smirk then gave Adam a quick glance and said. "Thea's friend," Which Adam seemed annoyed about but the boy ignored him. "You just can't stay away from me can you?"

"Just give us the menus Evan." I said with a laugh.

"Sure thing love." He said with a wink then walked off.

Adam didn't speak as he opened his menu and started scanning the options, but he frowned when he noticed I didn't open mine.

"What?" I asked when he looked at me.

"Aren't you getting something?"

"I already know what I'm getting." I said.

"What?"

"A turkey burger with swiss, no mustered, mayo on the side, double bacon and fries light on the salt with a caramel milk shake."

"How often do you come here?" he asked suspiciously and I grinned.

"I don't see that as relevant information."

"Of course you don't." he said scowling and he went back to his menu.

A few minutes passed before he decided, mostly in which I stared out the window onto the dark street and he flipped between the dinner and the lunch menu, but finally, when Evan came back, we both ordered a burger and milkshake and Adam gave me a suspicious look.

"So," he said his eyes following Evan as he walked away to place our orders. "What's his deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Love?" he asked raising an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes.

"Please." I said with a laugh. "Evan does that with everyone. He thinks it will get him a better tip. He'd flirt with you too if he thought you'd be into it."

"And you flirt back?" he asked seeming a little disgruntled.

"Does it matter?" I asked interestedly.

"I guess not." He muttered but he still looked a little annoyed. "So how did you find this place?" he continued looking around. "Seems kind of out of the way."

"Just wandering." I said shrugging.

"What does wandering mean?"

"I've been at camp long enough to wonder what's on the outside."

"So how long have you been sneaking out?" he asked looking genuinely interested for once and not stern.

"Since my first summer." I said, then caught his expression. "Don't look so surprised." I said grinning. "It's kind of a right of passage in my cabin."

"To sneak out of camp?"

I nodded.

"Why?" he asked confused.

"It means you can get in and out of places without being detected." I said. "A useful skill for a thief."

"But why do you want to be known for that?" he asked. "Does it bother you that that's what people think of you."

"Not really." I said with a shrug.

"Why not?"

"It's just who we are." I said with a laugh.

"Who you are, or who people want you to think?" he asked.

"I don't understand." I said frowning.

"You said the reason I'm the way I am is because people expect me to be like my dad right? Well, maybe I'm not the only one."

"It's a thought." I said fairly while reaching into my pocket. "But unlike you." I said holding up his watch with a smirk. "I actually enjoy being like my father."

"Why do you do stuff like that?" he asked irritated snatching back his watch and my smile grew.

"Relax, I always give you your stuff back."

"That's not the point is it?" he said darkly.

Evan brought our food and I watched with interest as Adam picked up his burger and took a bite.

"Well?" I asked after he chewed for a moment then put it down.

"You're right." He said. "this is pretty good."

"See." I said smugly as he started sipping his milkshake.

"I can't remember the last time I had junk food." He said his mood improving and he smiled.

"I'm not surprised." I said starting on my fries trying to ignore the feeling of elation that was going through me at that moment. "You only leave for missions and lately things have been pretty tame. I bet you're pretty bored."

"Actually it's been kind of nice." He said shrugging and also eating a fry. "No weird deaths, strange prophecies or accidents, or monster fights. I don't mind things having kind of slow down."

"You don't like going on quests?" I asked a little surprised.

"That take their toll," he said looking down at his plate. "I've seen a lot of things. And I'm not sure I'm better for it."

I looked at him in concern. I'd never been on a mission or quest myself but from the way people talked about them they sounded like they were some sort of awesome adventure. But looking at Adam now I wasn't sure if that was really true. His eyes were dark and his expression was almost angry.

"Is that why you don't let people go on missions with you any more?" I asked softly and his eyes met mine. "You didn't want anyone else to get hurt?"

Adam was always the one they sent for the most dangerous jobs. He was the most powerful and most experienced hero in the camp and unfortunately, getting assigned to a mission with Adam generally had a pretty high mortality rate, those who returned injured were some of the luckier ones. Recently, he'd taken to refusing missions unless he did it alone.

"I work better on my own." He said stiffly. "That way I don't have to worry about protecting other people when I'm in the middle of a fight."

"Sounds to me like the camp needs to spend more time teaching campers how to defend themselves. You know, avoid and evade."

"You can't out run everything."

"Sure you can." I said shrugging. "If you're fast enough."

"Not everyone is you." he muttered darkly. "You make it sound so easy. And I'm sure for you it is, but you forget you're special. Even among your siblings." He glanced at me and I blushed. "Not everyone has your power."

"I'm just fast." I muttered. "You make me sound like a big deal."

"You're unique," he said frowning. "Surely you must have realized that by now."

"I'm nothing on you."

"You're the only one who's ever gotten the better of me." He said quietly. "Everyone knows it, including Chiron. And that's what scares me."

"Why?" I asked grinning. "Afraid I'm going to beat you in the arena? Take your title?"

"I'm afraid you're going to get sent on a mission." He said flatly. "And you're going to be great at it."

"Why does that bother you?" I asked confused.

"Because they're going to keep sending you." He said shaking his head. "Like they do to me, and one day you won't be fast enough."

He looked at me and though his gaze was steady, something faltered in his eyes.

"I already know how my life is going to play out." He said plainly. "I've seen it happen to my friends, and countless of my siblings through out history, we all meet the same end. I know I'm the son of Zeus and whether I ask for it or not fate and this insane world of our parents will never leave me alone, but it's different for you. You can do whatever you want, leave camp and all this madness. You can walk away."

I felt my stomach twinge guiltily and what felt like the millionth time tonight I looked up at the moon.

"It would be unfortunate if that were wasted." He finished quietly.

"Things don't have to turn out so bad." I said and he looked at me uncertainty.

"Yeah? What's your plan?"

"I don't really know." I said honestly. "Lately I've been trying to figure that out."

"Don't know what you want?"

"No I've always known what I wanted." I said shaking my head. "I'm just not sure it's possible."

"Since when has that ever stopped you before?" he asked frowning. "You always seem to manage to get what you're after."

I shrugged. I found this a bit ironic coming from him.

"What about you?" I asked deflecting his question in favor of asking my own. "What do you want?"

"I've no idea." He said shrugging. "My mom wants me to go to law school like her and my step dad. She's always talked about politics maybe cuz of my dad but…" he frowned as his sentence faded.

"What?"

"I'm just not really sure I'd really be happy doing that."

"Well what makes you happy?" I asked him and he considered the question.

"I guess like you I'm still working that out."

"So what you're saying is were both clueless?"

He grinned.

"Yeah I guess so."

"Well we are doing fantastic aren't we?"

"I dunno," he said shrugging. "You always seem pretty happy, I wish I knew how to see things like you did."

"Life is easier if you learn to laugh at it."

"It's not just that." He said shaking his head. "You always seem to know how to pick people up. Make them happy too. It's something I always liked about you."

Apov

Thea and I ended up staying out the entire night. When we finally made it back to the camp it was about five in the morning and the sun was rising so we walked to the beach and spent the last few hours until breakfast talking about everything and nothing in particular.

"You've got sand on your face." I said grinning and brushing it off her cheek after I checked my watch and saw it was ten minutes until breakfast. "What are you going to tell your siblings?"

"They're used to me wandering off." she said shrugging. "I could tell them anything and they'll believe it."

"Even if you said you were with me?"

"Well, maybe not that." She said amused as we walked back up the bank and back towards the cabins.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the Arena later." She said eventually as we reached her cabin and I looked down at her.

"That's right." I said in shock, so much had happened over the last twenty four hours I'd almost forgotten what Chiron had said during training. "We're supposed to teach the younger campers."

"Yeah." she nodded obviously amused by the fact I forgot. "I'll see you later then?"

I smiled.

"Yeah. Of course."

"See you then." She said returning the smile and starting to walk away.

"Thea, wait," I said and she turned looking a little surprised. "Look I just want to thank you. You know, for last night. It was fun and I think I needed it."

At this she grinned, but it was a very different smile than I was used to seeing form her.

"No problem boy scout." She said and again that strange sensation I'd felt when I'd spotted her walking out of her cabin yesterday went through me. It was a feeling so intense it dimmed everything I'd felt around Crystal by comparison. "I'll see you around."

She walked away and I felt the urge to go after her, but I had no idea what to say. So instead I watched her meet up with a couple of siblings and head towards the dinning pavilion.

" _What_ was that about?"

I turned to see Kyle standing not too far away looking at me suspiciously.

"What was what about?" I asked defensively.

"Don't give me that." He said walking over to me. "What's going on between you and Thea?"

"Nothing."

"Please." He said sarcastically. "You wanted to follow her like a lost puppy I could see it in your face."

"Will you keep your voice down?" I asked looking around, but the nearest people were easily fifty feet away. "Thea and I just went out last night ok? Like just to get burgers, that's it."

"Burgers?" he said frowning. "Where the Hades did you?" but his eyes went wide as realization caught up with him. "Oh my Gods. You snuck off with her?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"Not just a little bit." He said in amazement. "You guys actually left camp?"

"Yes."

He stared at me for a second.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just hard for me to take in." he said looking at me as if with a new found respect. "She actually got you to do it?"

I nodded.

"Good for her." He said grinning as we started walking towards breakfast. "So where did you go?"

"Just a restaurant off the side of the road not far from camp."

"And how was it?" he asked looking, in my opinion, far too interested about this.

"Fine I guess, the place looked like crap but the food was pretty-"

"I don't care about the restaurant!" he said indignantly. "How was it with Thea? What did you guys do? What did you talk about?"

"Nothing important." I said honestly as we stepped into the pavilion. "Just random stuff."

"Oh my gods." He said stopping in his tracks his eyes going wide.

"What?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that." He said shaking his head and pointing at a table that usually remained empty but today was hosting seven girls with ages that ranged from eleven to about nineteen all dressed in silvery white athletic gear. Each of them were glowing with a silvery light that outlined their silhouette.

"What the?" I said frowning. "What are they doing here?"

We weren't the only ones who were shocked. All around I could see people pointing and whispering towards Artemis and her hunters. Some of them, girls mostly, looked excited while others looked distinctly uncomfortable. It was always awkward for the boys in camp when Artemis and her maidens came to visit. They absolutely hated men. Still, her visits were rare so it was something to talk about. Generally when she came it was for one of two things. The first, was to challenge the camp's best heroes in a game of capture the flag against her hunters, the second, because she was recruiting.

I noticed several of the youngers girls were looking at the goddess furtively, obviously hoping to be considered while some of the older girls looked a little nervous.

I quickly scanned the Hermes table and spotted Thea. She wasn't talking like the rest of the camp, but she was looking at the goddess. She didn't look excited or nervous though, she looked downright terrified.

This worried me.

"Hey, I'll talk to you later ok?" I said to Kyle.

"Where are you-" he started but was cut off as Chiron walked to the front of the pavilion and addressed the camp.

"As you can see," he said raising his voice and quickly the chatter died as everyone, even the hunters, turned their attention towards him. "Camp Half Blood is currently hosting the lovely Goddess Artemis and her ladies of the hunt. From what I understand, they'll be coming and going for the next week in order test their talents against our best and brightest in a friendly game of capture the flag next Friday."

His smile remained polite but I could see his eyes glitter mischievously and I knew why. As camp activity director, Chiron was heavily invested in our on going rivalry with Artemis and her hunters. The camp had never beaten them, and I knew it would give him extreme pleasure to beat the Goddess, even if it was just once.

"Is there anything else you would like to add?" he asked glancing at the table and to the girl in the center.

She was one of the youngest in the group, with long curly red hair and light eyes, but it was obvious she was the Goddess. You could see it in the way she carried herself and silver glow that was emitted from her was by far the strongest.

"There is." She said standing and smiling. Her gaze swept the crowd and several people, including myself, shuddered. Like all of the Olympians, she radiated a sense of immeasurable power. I couldn't help but think her eyes flashed when they spotted me, leaving me with the strange impression that she already didn't like me. "We'd also like to extend an invitation," she continued. "To our current person of interest. We'd ask her temporarily join our ranks for the game, where she would play on our team. As a sort of… trial."

She smiled a little sarcastically, as if she knew this girl couldn't refuse and the whispers started again, several girls looking excited as everyone wondered the same thing. Who did she want?

"Well, what do you think Thea?" she continued.

"Oh shit." Kyle said running his hand through his hair as everyone turned to look at the Hermes table where everyone had frozen and Thea's eyes had gone wide.

A silent sort of horror began to crash through my leaving everything feeling cold.

"Would you care to join us?"


	21. Chapter 21

Tpov

That hour had been the longest of my life. I'd been 'encouraged', which basically meant forced, to finish lunch with Artemis and her hunters, after which she told me to grab my things from my cabin and stay in hers with her maidens.

I walked out of the pavilion in a horrified sort of trance. Everyone knew. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

I didn't register walking towards my cabin. I let my feet take me on autopilot while thoughts swirled around my mind so rapidly, it threatened to overwhelm me. Maybe that's why I didn't notice the person until they'd grabbed my wrist and dragged me behind the cabin.

"We need to talk."

"What?" I asked confused but I was cut off.

"You applied to be a huntress?" Tess said furiously. "And you didn't tell me?"

"No." I said honestly breaking from my stupor and looking at her.

"Then WHY is she here?" she asked indignantly.

"Because of Crystal." I said with a sigh.

"What?" she asked confused and I was mentally transported back several months over winter break when Crystal had come to camp over the holidays.

 _"You know he's never going to like you back." She said approaching me as I exited the Arena after a lesson with the younger campers. I'd taken Adam's place with Derek while he'd gone on a mission to kill the Hydra which was currently rampaging around the Bronx._

 _"What are you talking about?" I asked frowning resting my sword on my shoulder and looking at her while wondering what she was doing here. There was a time where Crystal would attempt to intimidate me in person, but these days, when she realized she wasn't going to get a reaction from me, she spent most of her efforts into spreading rumors about me and calling me names to her friends._

 _"Spare me." She said spat glaring at me but I kept my face impassive. "I know you've had this pathetic little crush on Adam since you first met him. And my patience is wearing thin."_

 _"Didn't he just break up with you?" I asked calmly walking towards the armory to return the shield I'd borrowed._

 _"Please." She said rolling her eyes. "We'll be back together by the end of the week."_

 _"I'm sure you will." I said shrugging._

 _"Which means a little sneak thief like you is never going to have a chance."_

 _I stopped looked at her._

 _"Is there something you want?" I asked keeping my tone neutral but feeling suspicious all the same._

 _"Yes." She said holding up a pamphlet. "I want you to leave."_

 _"Why?" I asked more confused than insulted. She was right of course, I'd never have a chance with Adam but it wasn't as if I'd ever tried to steal him from her so why did she care?_

 _"Why wouldn't you?" she asked nastily and I raised an eyebrow. "You have one friend outside of your cabin, everyone thinks you're a lunatic, and you're constantly pissing everyone off with your pranks and by stealing their stuff. No one wants you here so why are you?"_

 _"I don't have anywhere else to go." I said honestly._

 _"Well," she said shoving the pamphlet at me. "Now you do."_

 _I took it and frowned._

 _"The hunters?" I asked looking at her. "What would Artemis want with me?"_

 _"Are you kidding?" she asked annoyed. "You're like exactly what she looks for in a huntress. You're fast, a talented fighter, smart, and you've never had a boyfriend. And you never will." She added threateningly. "So what's keeping you here?"_

 _I didn't answer and she scoffed._

 _"Give up on him. You have no chance." she said turning and walking away. "Join the hunt. I've already sent the application."_

"Thea?" Tess said waving her hand in front of my face and I was brought back to the present. She looked concerned. "What's going on?"

"A few of months ago Crystal sent Artemis an application in my name." I explained and she let out a noise similar to a hissing alligator.

"That BITCH." she snarled.

"I didn't tell you because she never responded, but, a few weeks ago." I said finding it hard to meet her gaze. "I got a message."

"What message?"

"Just a series of tasks." I said shaking my head. "She and her hunters, they hid stuff for me to find, gave me the locations of monsters she wanted me to hunt, sort of like a trial thing I guess I don't know, but I found the last one the other day and I think that's why they're here."

"But why did you even bother?" she asked. "You're not seriously considering joining are you?"

I shrugged and she looked horrified.

"What? Why?"

"What's keeping me here?" I asked.

"Plenty!"

"Besides you or my siblings." I said and she faltered.

"But, you have to swear off men for eternity."

"Because that's such a change." I said raising my eyebrows.

"Well," she hesitated. "I mean, Adam could come around." She said half-heartedly. "Or you could find-"

"Someone else?" I asked. "Do you really think that is going to happen?"

She didn't answer. A moment of silence passed between us until she eventually spoke.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know." I said honestly. "I guess for now, grab my stuff and go about my week as normally as possible. Then I'll play capture the flag with them."

"Then you'll decide?"

"I guess so." I said shrugging.

She looked as if she wanted to say something, but when I waited nothing came out.

"I should probably go get my stuff." I said awkwardly.

"Yeah." she said not meeting my gaze.

"I'll see you later alright?"

"Yeah ok."

I walked away from her feeling guilty and into my cabin, ignoring the hundreds of questions my siblings badgered me with the second I stepped into the main hall. I shut my bunkroom door looking forward to the few minutes of peace and quiet that I would get while I packed. I just wanted to think.

"I packed your stuff for you."

I jumped and turned to see Austin sitting on my bed with my duffle bag already full.

"You took a long time talking to Tess, and I figured you shouldn't keep a Goddess waiting."

"Oh, yeah probably." I said but I didn't move, just looked at him some of the numb shock that had disbanded when talking to Tess creeping back into me.

"Are you alright?" he asked looking concerned.

"I'm not sure." I said honestly and I heard my voice shake slightly.

"Come here." He said standing and opening his arms. I crossed the room and he pulled me into a tight hug. "Everything's going to be fine." He said soothingly.

I didn't answer but closed my eyes trying not to think about what lie ahead, but sooner than I would have liked, he let go.

"You should probably get going."

"Yeah." I said quietly.

I grabbed my things and he followed me out of the room, ordering my siblings to leave me alone as I walked towards the front door.

I shifted my bag over my shoulder and started to cross to the Silver cabin across the yard when someone said.

"Is it true Thea?" I turned and looked up to see Dennis, sitting on the edge of the roof on our cabin. It seemed that he too had developed a preference for heights. "Everyone's been talking about it. Are you leaving us?"

He looked sad.

"I don't know." I said honestly and his lower lip trembled.

"But what are we going to do without you?" he asked quietly. "You make being part of cabin 11 fun."

"You can have fun without me." I assured him.

"It's not the same." He said frowning. "What happens when we get new campers? Who's going to teach them things?"

"Well I guess that will be your job." I said and he looked uncertain.

"But you're the best." He said quietly.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to surpass me."

He dropped lightly from the roof and I was amazed how quickly he'd grown into his reflexes.

"I only just met you." He said sadly. "I don't want to lose my big sister."

I smiled and held my arms open for a hug which he accepted.

"Dennis. I'll always be your sister." I said ruffling his hair. "Nothing's going to change that."

We let go and while he still looked upset, he seemed to feel a little better.

"I've got to go." I said grabbing my bag again. "I'll see you around ok?"

He nodded and I crossed the lawn to the Artemis cabin, feeling the stares of several campers as I stepped through the door way.

It was a very nice building, much nicer than the Hermes cabin, with lots of expensive white furniture and silver detailing. It was cool on the inside, like a breeze at night after a warm summer day and while it wasn't unpleasant, I found it slightly intimidating. For years I'd come to think of my cabin as a sort of home. This place however, felt more like a museum. I was almost afraid to touch anything.

I shifted my bag over my shoulder and walked into one of the bunk rooms where several of the hunters were unpacking. In the dining pavilion they'd seemed an extremely serious lot and not exactly friendly, but now that they were on their own and away from the boys of the camp, they'd seemed to relax. They were chatting happily and smiling, some braiding each other's hair while others adjusted their bow strings or sharpened their knives. It was like some weird cross between a warriors camp and a slumber party.

They stopped when they noticed me. I noticed one girl in particular, tall with spiky black hair and blue eyes that looked familiar, was looking at me with interest. Like the others she was glowing, but in her hair she wore a silver circlet that was at odds with the rest of her 'punk chick' accessories, and I realized she must have had some sort of elevated status among the girls.

"Welcome Thea," said a voice behind me causing me to jump, turn around and back farther into the room as the chatter around me died. "There's no reason to look so nervous." Artemis said smiling. "We're very happy to have you. Ladies, could you help our guest acquire the proper attire?"

"Here." A tall girl with long, braided black hair and kind brown eyes said with a smile. She handed me a set of folded clothes while a couple of the others grabbed my possessions and set them up on an empty bed where a pair of combat boots, two bronze hunting knives, and a silver bow were resting.

"So," Artemis asked looking back at me, seeming genuinely pleased by my presence. "How do you like the cabin?"

"It's beautiful." I said honestly, deciding to leave out the fact I felt more comfortable in my father's cabin.

"Thank you." She said. "Well if you don't mind getting dressed, we've got work to do."

"We do?" I asked in surprise and she laughed.

"Of course. You didn't think your trial would consist only of capture the flag did you?" she asked sounding amused. "We want you to get the full experience, which means we need to go on a hunt." She looked at the girl with the circlet who finally tore her gaze from me and back to the goddess. "Make sure she has everything she needs. I must speak with Chiron about the game Friday."

"Alright." She said and waited for Artemis to depart before looking at me again. She looked to be about sixteen, maybe a little younger, and gave me an interested look as she crossed the room and the girls went back to talking.

Though I was certain I'd never seen this girl in my life, but I couldn't help but think she looked familiar.

"There's no need to look so anxious." She said grinning. "We're not nearly as intimidating as we let people think we are. I'm Thalia."

She held out her hand which I shook and I suddenly realized why she looked so familiar.

"You're Adam's sister."

"That would be me." She said amused. "What's he up to lately? I haven't seen him since we ran into him in DC when he was my age." She frowned. "Please tell me he's not still dating that girl."

"They just broke up yesterday."

"It took him this long?" she asked looking disappointed. "Well, better late then never. You'd better get changed. She'll be back soon and we'll have to get moving."

I nodded and hesitated looking down at the gear but knew that I would have to put it on eventually. I changed and walked out in front of the cabin where Artemis was waiting for us.

"Excellent." She said beaming at me. "Shall we head out ladies?"

There was a general murmur of ascent throughout the group, and Artemis turned and was about to make her way towards the boundary of the camp when she stopped and shook her head.

"Look at me getting a head of myself. I almost forgot."

She turned back to hunters and walked up to me. Though she was nearly a foot shorter than me in her young form, I felt a shiver to through me as she drew close. She put a hand on my shoulder and muttered something in greek. There was a bright flash of silver and I felt something cool wash over me.

"There." She said smiling and I looked down in shock to see that my silhouette was shining silver like the rest of the girls. "It's a temporary enchantment. But for now it should do."

I stared at my hands, not certain if I trusted myself to speak.

"Ready ladies?" she asked and they nodded checking their weapons. "Then let's go."

She started to run quickly followed by Thalia and the others and after a moment's hesitation, I ran after them realizing for the first time in my life I might have found a group of people that might have been able to keep up.

"Where are we going?" I asked looking at the girl who'd handed me my uniform as Artemis pulled out her bow. An odd feeling stuck me as we crossed the borders of the camp, how many times had I had to sneak out when I wanted to leave camp? Now here I was, walking out in the broad day light for anyone to see.

"There's a rumor that the Minotaur's formed around here." She explained also taking out her bow as Thalia signaled something and two girls darted off into the trees of the surrounding woods. Another signal and two more girls vanished. "First pair who finds it get's the first chance to hunt it."

Thalia sent a third signal.

"That's our cue." The girl said grinning at me. "I'm Madeline by the way."

She gestured for me to follow her and I hesitated, remembering the last conversation I'd had about the minotaur and who it had been with.

"Something wrong?" she asked looking at me in concern when she noticed I hadn't moved.

"No." I said shaking my head and taking the bow they'd given me from over my shoulder. "Let's go."

"Alright." She said brightly. "Let's see what you can do."

She took off her silver figure darting between the trees and memory of Adam's expression when I suggested the minotaur could breathe fire rose to the surface of my mind. He'd looked as if he wasn't quite sure he believed what he was hearing. I grinned slightly and ran after Madeline in the woods.

I wasn't exactly sure what I'd expected hunting with Artemis and her ladies, maybe for it to be like capture the flag but I was wrong. In capture the flag I was usually on my own. I was so much faster than everyone else that they didn't bother including me in the main party where I'd just end up leaving people behind, but I found that while I was running Madeline was right on my heels. I some how knew where the other hunters were at all times and when we reached the monster crashing through the brush I was surprised to silver arrows flying after it.

It trampled out of sight and I saw several silver blurs not far behind.

"Not used to being late to the party are you?" Madeline said laughing when she caught my expression.

"No." I said honestly.

"C'mon." she said with a grin. "We'd better catch up."

Together we tore after the girls and soon I found myself smiling as well.

With so many of us, it didn't take long until we had the monster cornered. No one knew who made the fatal shot, but unlike in the games of capture the flag, no one argued argued over who did what the best or who deserved the most glory. They spent the walk back to camp laughing and trading stories, making fun of each other in a way that was closer than friends. Like sisters.

I hadn't even realized how far from the boundary we'd gotten until we managed to find it again and we stepped out of the trees to see a dark sky filled with stars. The hunters glowed so brightly I hadn't noticed the lack of sunlight.

I saw Artemis glance at the constellations, no doubt remembering her fallen comrades over the centuries but before I knew what to think about this, Madeline's voice caught my attention.

"So what did you think?" she asked looking at me curiously. "Have fun?"

"Yeah. It was awesome." I said honestly and she smiled. "So what do we do now?"

"Now we got back to the cabin and plan for this week's game." Thalia, who'd apparently heard me, said turning to face me.

She'd been at the head of the party talking with the goddess but her eyes flashed with interest when they landed on me. She paused letting the others pass her and continued walking when Madeline and I had reached her, falling into step next to me.

"Think the camp stands a chance?" I asked uncertainly. We'd never won against them before.

"Not without you they don't." Artemis said and while she hadn't turned, I could tell she was amused.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at this but I wasn't exactly sure what to say about it. I still felt a bit awkward but the hunters looked quite at their ease. They were still talking to each other, some had linked their arms as they walked while others were comparing weapons. It was hard to believe they could be this relaxed around a god, let alone one of the twelve major Olympians.

Thalia and Madeline got into a discussion about the last time they'd faced the hydra as we passed the Big House and I was about to ask if it really regrew heads like all the legends said when I hesitated. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise and I looked over my shoulder, convinced eyes were on me. I glanced up and felt a shock go through me.

Though it was night, I could still see Adam sitting on the roof of the Big House quite obviously staring down at us. Uncertainty crept through me. Was he upset?

"You know you're pretty good with a bow." Madeline said putting her arm around my shoulders and bringing me back to the conversation. "But I'm excited to see you with a sword on Friday. That's your weapon of choice isn't it?"

"Yeah." I said looking away from Adam feeling confused.

"Well if you're as good as they say we're going to crush them in capture the flag."

It took me a few seconds to realize that when she said 'we' she was including me as part of the hunters and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I glanced over my shoulder at Adam again but knew I wouldn't be able to join him.

"How long do you think the game will last?" she asked and I glanced at her, but she was looking at Thalia who didn't respond.

Her expression was hard to read but her eyes glittered perceptively as they landed on me then looked back at the Big House. My stomach contracted slightly as I realized why. I wasn't the only one who'd seen Adam.


	22. Chapter 22

Apov

Thea didn't show up for training in the arena the day Artemis arrived not that I was surprised. I'd seen them leaving camp together obviously going off running after some sort of legendary monster to kill, but I was surprised when she turned up the next day. The only thing was, she didn't look like Thea at all.

"You're glowing." I said in shock as she walked into the arena armed with a bow and two new knives.

"Oh, yeah." she said looking embarrassed and rubbing the back of her neck. She was wearing silvery camo pants, black combat boots, a tight white t shirt and a silver athletic jacket. "It's a huntress thing."

"It suits you." I said quietly finding it hard to look away.

She looked older than she usually did with her hair done in a complex braid with silver strands woven into it. It started at her temple then crossed to the opposite shoulder with a few loose strands framing her face and I knew one of the other hunters must have done it. She would never have had the patience to do it herself.

"Thanks." She said still looking embarrassed but smiling all the same.

Was this some kind of joke? How in the name of Hades were guys supposed to stay away from the huntresses when they looked like that?

"So how was your slumber party with the man haters?" I asked trying to smile as if this were some sort of huge joke, but when her expression brightened I felt something in mine slip. She didn't seem to notice.

"It was a lot fun actually. They're really nice but it was kind of hard to sleep though since we're all so bright."

"They don't seem that nice." I said remembering a particularly burning glare I got from one of the girls when they saw me staring at Thea before they left for their hunt yesterday. I didn't like the way she'd said 'we' either. She wasn't one of them, not really.

"Yeah, well, you're a guy." She said shrugging.

"Are you going to start hating men now too?" I asked with a frown and she laughed, I was glad to see that at least that about her hadn't changed.

"No." she said grinning. "But it was really cool to go hunting with them. They're almost as fast as I am."

"That's impressive." I said feeling a slight twinge of jealousy. What wouldn't I give to be able to keep up with her.

"Yeah, and you should see them when they fight." She said her face lighting up again and I tried to seem interested rather than bitterly disappointed. "They're amazing. I've never seen anything like it. We didn't even have to talk. It was like they could read my mind."

"So it sounds like you had a good time." I said though I didn't want to hear her response.

"Yeah, I did." She said happily. "It was kind of nice, you know I don't exactly have the best track record with girls, but they were all super cool."

By 'girls' I knew she meant Crystal and I'd never regretted my relationship with her more.

"Looks like you got some cool gear too."

"Yeah." she said looking down at her clothes. "It's not really my style, but it's comfortable and the bow is pretty awesome. Check it out."

She raised the bow and pulled back the string, then aimed it at a target on the other side of the arena. Just as she released, a silver arrow appeared and went soaring dead center into the target.

"Magic arrows." She said grinning. "How cool is that? They never run out."

"Super cool." I lied. The weapon was pretty amazing, but I couldn't get excited about it. She was enjoying her time with the hunters a little too much for my liking. What if she decided to stay with them?

I'd been thinking about this all last night after I saw them returning to camp. She'd been smiling and seemed to have the time of her life and while I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't care, I'd come to one conclusion. I would care. I would care a lot.

A bell rang through out the camp grounds and an influx of young campers came through the entrance of the arena.

"Well," she said looking at me. "What should we work on today? I know Chiron wants us to teach defense but that can cover a lot of things."

While her siblings Jessica and Kevin waved at her cheerfully, I noticed several of the girls staring at her in her huntress uniform looking at her as if she were the Goddess Artemis herself while several of the boys looked intimidated. It was this new found respect the campers had for her that caused the situation hit me like it hadn't before. Seeing her like this, all dressed up as a huntress and happier than I'd ever seen her, made me realize it wasn't a joke or some sort of weird one time scenario. This was real. There was a very good chance Thea would become a hunter, and I wasn't handling it well.

"You ok Adam?" she asked looking at me in concern.

"Yeah," I said shaking my head and forcing myself to stay present. "What do you think we should do?"

"We could improve their use of terrain." She suggested. "Take them to the forest and test their reaction to different scenarios of attack in different types of environments."

"Yeah, that sounds good." I said and she turned to face the kids who were still looking at her in what was almost reverence.

"Alright campers." She said brightly sounding much more like the camp version of herself. "We're going on a little field trip."

I tried to talk to her as normally as possible as we lead the class to the forest but I found it was difficult. I mean she was always easy to talk to, but each time I looked at her I was forced to take in her hunter appearance and had to wrestle down a fresh wave of panic.

"You know, it will be nice to be the one shooting during a lesson for once." She said amused, raising her bow as the campers lined up in front of the obstacle course Chiron had set up for training in the woods. "I'm used to being the one getting shot at."

"Are you sure we should be shooting at them?" I said uncertainly. "They're still pretty young and there's other things they'll be dodging."

In addition to Thea's arrows, there were several traps in the obstacle course including moving panels they had to jump on, flame cannons that went off periodically, and various other hazards that would have certainly gotten the camp sued if it were run in the mortal world.

"They won't learn if we make it too easy for them."

I glanced at Thea uncertainly. 'Easy' was not one of the words that came to mind as I looked over the pit of spikes and the razor wire they'd have to army crawl under to get around it. 'Death' and 'trap' seemed far more appropriate.

"What if you hit one?" I asked raising an eyebrow and her eyes glittered mischievously.

"Then they should have been faster."

"Thea." I said with a scowl and she laughed.

"Relax Adam, I'm not actually going to aim for them." She said rolling her eyes, drawing back the bow string and an arrow formed. It amazed me how comfortable she looked with the weapon already. "Think of it as a little extra motivation. You ready Jess?" she called raising her voice as he sister stepped to the front of the line.

"Thea if you shoot me I'm going do dye your hair orange." Jessica shouted back glancing at the bow nervously.

"If I shoot you I don't think you'll be doing much other than bleeding." She said smirking at her sister. "Now quit stalling."

She released the arrow and Jessica sprang into action.

While most of the things Thea and I covered in the forest with the young campers were pretty basic, it was rather amusing to see the ways in which they managed to mess them up.

"I think the best one was when Timmy managed to catch himself on fire." Thea said laughing as we exited the forest together recounting some of the more memorable mistakes the campers had made. "I mean, we're we ever _that_ bad?"

"You weren't." I said thinking back to one of my first few defense lessons. It was the first time I'd really noticed Thea as someone other than just a child of Hermes. I'd remembered thinking she was pretty cute until she was the only one to complete Chiron's obstacle course without getting cut, bludgeoned, or burned. Then I was just intimidated. "That first day we had training together, you didn't even get a scratch."

"You remember that?" she asked looking surprised.

"Yeah, I remember because everyone had failed and then you just waltzed right through it like it was nothing making us all look like idiots. And you were the youngest one there. I thought Chiron might die of shock."

She grinned.

"Yeah, you got your ass handed to you that day."

"Four burns, two cuts, one on each arm, and an arrow in the quad." I said. "I remember watching you thinking you were some sort of freak of nature."

"Really?" she asked amused.

"Yeah."

"And what do you think now?" she asked curiously.

"You're still a freak of nature." I said grinning. "But I'd kill to be like you."

"Even if it meant breaking the rules?" she asked with interest and I couldn't help a smile.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You know I think you're right." She said amused. "I am a bad influence."

"I'm not complaining."

She looked a little taken back by this and her eyes met mine, but she suddenly looked guilty and looked away.

"I should probably get back to the hunters." She mumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

"Yeah," I said feeling disappointed. "Sure."

She started to walk away and once again I had the urge to follow her but had no idea what to say.

I watched her jog over to the hunters who were walking towards the dining pavilion for lunch.

They accepted her into her ranks as naturally as her own family and she linked arms with one of the girls with dark hair who I could tell she'd already grown close with. It was the same girl she'd been with last night. They started talking about a topic which I couldn't guess, but seemed greatly interesting to Thea. She laughed and as she did, the girl with dark hair looked back at me curiously. Unlike the others, she didn't glare when she spotted me. She merely looked interested.

"Sucks doesn't it?" said a voice and I was startled into looking down for the source of the voice. It was Tess. Her arms were full of newly made weapons she was no doubt taking to the armory. "Watching them take her away and knowing there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

"Yeah." I said quietly looking back at Thea. "Can't you say something to her?"

"What do you want me to say?" she asked frowning.

"You're her best friend."

"If you can't get her to stay what on Olympus could I possibly do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked looking down at her again and she shook her head.

"Nothing. I'll see you around Adam." She said continuing her path towards the armory.

I watched the hunters stepped into the pavilion but I found I didn't feel much like eating and made my way back to my cabin to spend lunch alone. I was so distracted with my thoughts I didn't realize I wasn't alone until the girl sitting on my bed said.

"You know this room was a lot messier when I lived here."

"For the love of Apollo Thalia." I said annoyed as my sister gave me an amused look. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't visit my old cabin?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Like Thea she was glowing but considering I'd only ever known her as a hunter it didn't look as bizarre.

"I just don't see why you'd want to." I said frowning, from what I understood the girls that joined the hunters sort of gave up their old allegiances to whatever gods they were tied to in favor of Artemis but Thalia was sort of a weird hunter. She didn't mind boys, and was pretty relaxed compared to the rest of them. How she'd become Artemis's first lieutenant was beyond me.

"Fair point little bro." she said grinning and I felt a stab of irritation go through me.

"You know technically I'm older than you'll ever be." I pointed out.

"Yeah. And you're still an idiot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked a little annoyed. I'd never gotten the impression that Thalia had a high opinion of me. The last time I'd run into her, Crystal had been visiting me during the school year and it was very obvious that Thalia did not like her. They'd been tracking a monster through DC, and I felt like after seeing me she'd been rather unimpressed, disappointed even.

She gave me a shrewd look.

"What's going on between you and Thea?"


	23. Chapter 23

Sorry I haven't been able to update as much recently. Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows! Hope you like the update!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

Lunch on my second day with the hunters, was far more enjoyable than my first. They'd relaxed a little bit about eating with the boys and were all talking about different stories of their favorite hunts they'd been on and seemed extremely interested in my life here at camp. This was surprising to me. Most people thought my pranks were irritating, but they actually seemed to think they were funny, especially when the victims were boys. Unlike most people around here, they seemed to appreciate the time and effort put into a good joke.

It was strange but for the first time outside of my cabin, I felt like I was around people with whom I belonged. I enjoyed listening to their stories, and was eager to hunt more monsters with them in the future. I'd almost completely forgotten I hadn't joined them permanently until Madeline asked.

"So Thea, who's that boy you were with earlier?"

"Who?" I asked momentarily forgetting we were at camp.

"Him." She said gesturing towards the entrance of the pavilion where Adam was walking in with Thalia. They seemed to be talking about something serious because she looked concerned and he looked very unhappy.

"Oh." I said guilt settling into my stomach though I wasn't sure why. "That's Adam Kall."

"Thalia's brother?" she asked her eyes growing slightly wider.

"Yep." I said popping a grape into my mouth.

"He's hot." She said earning a stiff look from Abby, one of the more dedicated man haters of the group. She had shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes that were looking at Madeline in an irritated manner.

"Oh calm down Ab." Madeline said rolling her eyes. "It's not like I'm ever going to talk to him."

Abby still didn't look too happy, but Madeline ignored her. I was surprised when Thalia sat with Adam at his cabin table instead of with us. I glanced at Artemis who, looking far from troubled, hardly seemed to notice. I guess the not spending too much time with boys policy didn't count if you were related to them. It made sense I guess, Artemis was a twin after all. She knew what it was like to have a brother.

I glanced guiltily at my cabin's table to see my siblings staring at me occasionally. Dennis looked upset and Austin seemed to be trying to reason with him.

"I always did have a thing for the strong and silent type." Madeline continued with a wistful sigh, and I turned to see she was still gazing at Adam with a dreamy expression, but glanced at me when she noticed I was looking at her. "He seems to like talking to you though."

I quite liked Madeline. Out of all of the hunters, she was by far the most relax about the rules except maybe Thalia. Though she respected her role enough not to talk to them, she didn't hate boys at all and was the first ones to ask me about my life at camp. She laughed most at my stories and was probably one of the nicest people I'd ever met. In a lot of ways she reminded me of Tess.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I asked as she buttered a piece of bread then shoved it none too lady like into her mouth.

"Sure." She said her voice muffled around the food.

"Why did you become a hunter?" I asked. "You don't seem to hate boys."

She paused for a moment, giving herself sometime to chew her food before answering.

"Well," she said frowning as though she was thinking very carefully about what she wanted to say. "I guess the answer is not because I hate boys, but because I like them too much."

"What?" I asked confused and she explained.

"Well, back when I was mortal." She said her face scrunching as if she were having a hard time remembering it. "I used to go out with a lot of guys. Like so many that it was ruining the rest of my relationships. I would choose boyfriends over friends and loose both because I'd end up dating another guy, then just fall for another guy after that. I sort of got into an unhealthy pattern of giving up everything for my latest relationship and getting almost nothing out of it. It took up way too much of my time and energy and I knew I'd never get anywhere if I kept it up so, I swore of men all together and that's how Artemis found me." She said with a smile. "She said she would take me in, help me build relationships with real friends who'd never abandoned me nor I them because we weren't allowed to be involved with boys. And for someone with no friends, to see how close she and the hunters were well, it was kind of a no brainer. I'd already determined I was going to stop dating boys anyways and this just made it that much easier."

"So it was easy for you?" I asked. "To decide?"

"Yeah." she said. "But you're in a bit of a unique situation aren't you? It wasn't you who sent us the application."

"No, it wasn't." I said frowning and glancing at the Aphrodite table.

Crystal had been uncharacteristically subdued over the passed few days. Her make up wasn't flawless, her hair was pulled back into a lazy ponytail, and she hadn't yelled at anyone in the past twenty four hours. It seemed as if her sisters weren't talking to her either. Apparently, without Adam she didn't hold much authority anymore.

"Well," she said shrugging. "Even if it was a sucky thing for that Crystal girl to do, I'm still glad it happened."

"You are?"

"Yeah." she said her smile returning. "We got to meet you. Even if you don't join you're still awesome. Hopefully we'll run into each other every once and a while and be able to catch up."

"Yeah." I said smiling. "I'd like that."

"Of course if you did join." She said slyly. "We could hang out all the time, but I know it's a hard choice. You've got things to consider."

My eyes found Adam who'd been approached by Michael who had, no doubt, been planning his battle strategies since the moment he'd known he'd be playing against Artemis and the hunters.

I felt a slight jolt when I realized that meant me. I wasn't on Michael team this time. I'd be going up against the most powerful demigods in camp. How on earth was I supposed to pull this off?

But as I looked at the hunters around me I felt a sense of calm go through me. I wasn't doing this alone. They would have my back because that's what being a part of this meant, and that was why they never lost. Half the time, campers that had been forced onto the 'elite' team that was facing the hunters were from different cabins whose parents had ancient grudges and just couldn't get along. They fought over who did what, who would get the glory and refused to work as a team and the hunters just picked them apart.

Suddenly, the nerves I felt when thinking about the upcoming match on Friday turned to excitement. I got to play with the hunters. How many people could say that? I got to prove myself to one of the most powerful Goddesses in Olympus who'd asked for me specifically to be on her team. They made me feel welcome and at home. Apart from my family and Tess, no one had ever done that at camp. Maybe Madeline was right. Maybe life would just be easier with the hunters.

I glanced at Adam again. Was it worth swearing off relationships for the ones I would gain if I joined the hunters?

'Yes.' Said the logical part of my brain. 'They've accepted you in ways no one else have. They like you for you. They appreciate you and your talents when everyone else just wanted you to go away.'

Still… I thought about how Adam had looked at me in the arena when Chiron had almost shot me, and the way he smiled in spite of himself when he wanted to be annoyed with me but instead I made him laugh. A quiet, very small part of me wondered what it would be like to play on Adam's team on Friday. To be united against the hunters, determined to win for the camp just this once.

But then, Crystal's voice rang loud and clear thought my thoughts.

 _"Give up on him. You have no chance."_

"Thea? You ok?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were alright." Madeline said looking concerned.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine." I said but I knew she could tell I was lying.

I saw her glance at Adam and understanding crossed her features.

"Look." She said giving me a knowing expression. "Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see you join the hunters, but in the end the one who has to make the decision is you. This life style definitely isn't for everyone and once you start it you can't go back." My stomach clenched but she continued. "It was alright for me. I already knew what I wanted going forward, but I'm not sure you do. So, when you're thinking about what you want to do, I think you should worry less about what you want now, and think more about what you want for your future."

"You know, that actually kind of helps." I said looking at her. "Sounds like something a life coach would say. How old are you anyways?"

"Fifteen." She said amused. "But I've been fifteen for a long time."

I thought back to when Adam had asked me what I wanted and about Austin's warning. Eternity was a very long time but did I even know what I wanted for the future? If I'd had goals or even a plan it might seem like a life without the hunters was something worth considering before I gave it up, but really what was waiting for me there?

'Nothing.' a voice said in the back of my mind when I tried to think of something. There was nothing keeping me here, nothing to look forward to and for a moment I thought I had everything to gain if I joined the hunters, but I knew it wasn't true. There was something keeping me here, it was the same thing I'd wanted for years and I knew that deep down I didn't want to give up.

Adam was still talking to Thalia and I was glad he was distracted so he didn't see me looking at him. As I watched I took in every detail of the face I'd gotten to know so well over the years and was so familiar. I knew that joining the hunters would mean the end of this but what I didn't realize until Madeline had said it, was that giving up on Adam wasn't just trying to move on from what was probably the world's longest crush. It would me the end of not just my camp life, but any chance I'd had of getting out of here like Adam had said, and having something close to resembling a normal life in the mortal world. Giving up on him meant giving up on everything I'd ever hoped for for my future. I wasn't sure I could do that without looking back.

Apov

The next couple of days were the most confusing in my life. Because we were still training the campers together I was spending the most time I'd ever had with Thea, but never had she been less accessible. Outside the arena, no matter where she went, she was always surrounded by the hunters.

I wasn't sure which was worse, the desire to be around her and knowing it was impossible, or seeing how happy she looked around them.

Ironically the worse I felt the more Thalia seemed to like me. She often left the hunters to talk to me and even sat with me at our father's table during meals. We didn't have a lot in common, but she seemed very interested in my relationship with Thea. I couldn't understand it, what did it really matter to her? But maybe she just liked the role of being a nosy older sister.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I asked Kyle running my hands through my hair as we sat out side the armory and he looked up from repairing an armor strap. I couldn't sleep but I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. I wanted to see Thea but it hurt to look at her. I was constantly distracted and late for everything except for training with her. Eating made me feel sick and I didn't want to think about her but I couldn't stop.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

"No." I said darkly. I'd never been this disoriented.

"You like her." He said clearly as if speaking to someone who was particularly slow.

"Of course I like her." I said annoyed. "She's my friend."

"No, I mean like you _like_ like her." He said and I stared at him. "As in you have feelings of a romantic nature towards Thea."

"Yeah, that's not it." I said frowning remembering Thalia's warning about spending too much time with Thea while she was technically part of the hunters.

"Deny it all you want." He said sagely. "But I see the way you look at her. She's all you talk about now."

"That is not true." I said scowling.

"You never shut up about her dude." He said grinning. "There's nothing wrong with it. Everyone goes through it."

"Not me." I said. "It was nothing like this when I was dating Crystal."

"Yeah, well, Crystal is a psycho." He pointed out. "And your relationship with her turned out to not be that real."

"Well you've got a point." I agreed.

Now that I was outside of her manipulative clutches, I was starting to see Crystal's behavior in an accurate light. Stories of things she'd done and said were reaching me, far too many for me to ignore the fact that I'd been dating a terrible person.

"But Thea's cool." He said with a shrug.

"She's not crazy."

"Oh she's definitely crazy." He said with a laugh. "But she's not a manipulative ice queen, and I always liked her."

"Yeah well, I guess it's a moot point now. She seems happy." I said quietly. "She probably won't be around for much longer."

"I might be able to help with that." Said a timid voice and we both looked up to see a boy with dark hair and wide eyes that looked nervous to talk to campers so much older than him.

"What's up Dennis?" I asked remembering his name from his language lessons and that Thea had seemed to have a soft spot for him.

"What do you mean you might be able to help with that?" Kyle asked frowning.

"You guys are talking about Thea right?" he asked timidly. "And how she might leave?"

We nodded.

"Well." he said looking down at his feet. "I probably shouldn't be meddling, but there's something you should know."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard something I shouldn't have." He said guiltily. "When Thea and her friend Tess were talking about how Artemis found out about Thea. I, well I was kind of on the roof near them and they didn't notice."

"What do you mean found out?" Kyle asked.

"Girls apply to be part of the hunt." I said wondering if anyone had fully explained this to him, he was still relatively new. He might not know.

"Thea didn't apply." He said shaking his head.

"What?" we asked in unison and I felt something spark within me.

"I wouldn't tell you this if there was any other way, but it sounds to me that you're under the impression that Thea wanted to join the hunters. But it wasn't Thea who sent Artemis her application."

"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked frowning.

"It was Crystal." He said and blank shock rang through out me. "She was the one who sent the application."

"Why would Crystal do that?" Kyle asked but I answered for Dennis.

"Because she wanted to get rid of Thea." I said darkly and I heard thunder crack in the distance.

"Calm down dude." Kyle said anxiously and Dennis glanced nerviously up at the sky then looked back at me, but he didn't have to worry. The anger that had spiked through me was short lived. It was suddenly being eclipsed by a sense of realization that as flooding through me that was rapidly turning into something that felt like hope.

Maybe she didn't want to leave after all.

"I think you're the only one who could get her to stay." Dennis said looking at me uncertainly and I remembered what Tess had mentioned the other day. "Austin tells me I should stay out of it but," he suddenly looked angry. "I don't like those hunter girls. And I'm not losing my sister to them without a fight. You need to talk to her."

"Why do you think I'd be able to change her mind?" I asked and he looked a little awkward but Kyle cut in for him.

"No I think he's got a point." He said. "I mean. Thea doesn't really listen to anyone, but she's always cared about what you thought."

"What would I even say?"

"The truth." Dennis said and Kyle clarified.

"Tell her you want her to stay."

"You do, don't you?" Dennis asked raising an eyebrow and I wasn't sure why, but it suddenly struck me that he was one of her closet brothers.

"Of course."

"Then tell her." He said flatly. "Before it's too late."

"Alright." I said quietly but felt a bit awkward when I realized they were both staring at me expectantly. "What like now?"

"Yes!" they said in exasperation.

"Ok." I said standing and abandoning the sword I was supposed to be sharpening. "Where is she?"

"I think she's in their cabin." Dennis said. "They were getting ready to go on another hunt last I heard."

"Alright, thanks."

I stepped out of the armory well aware that they were both watching me, and made my way to the cabins. Dennis was right, when I reached their cabin I saw Thea and her friend waiting outside with their weapons laughing about something as the others hunters walked in and out of the front door obviously preparing for their next adventure. Part of me was disappointed when I realized she hadn't seen me yet. I'd always sort of been on Thea's radar but she didn't notice me at all and I hesitated as I watched her talk with her new friend. They continued to laugh, completely unaware of the campers around them but I didn't realize just how serious this was until I spotted Austin step out of his cabin and notice his sister. He tried to wave but she didn't see him.

He waited for a second but she didn't look his way and I suddenly understood what Dennis had meant about losing Thea. She didn't act much like a camper these recently. Even though she went to activities occasionally, I could tell they were always in the back of her mind. It felt like she couldn't wait to rejoin them and leave the camp and when they were around her, they took all of her attention. She didn't seem to notice anything else. In the time they had been here, Thea hadn't gotten in trouble once. She hadn't stolen anything or played a single prank, it was like she just wasn't concerned with what was going on at camp.

Dennis was right. I had to talk to her, I wanted the real Thea back not this weird hunters version of her. But as I started walking towards her, I felt something grab my shoulder and hold me back.

"You're going to want to stay put." Said a voice in warning and I looked back to see Thalia with a dark expression. Her hand was on my shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused but she nodded in the direction of the cabin and I saw that Thea and her friend were no longer alone. A small red headed figure had joined them and engaged Thea in conversation.

"You need to be careful Adam." She said quietly. "Artemis is extremely protective of us. I know you like Thea, but Artemis won't tolerate any man she sees as a threat to her hunters."

"She's not one of you." I said flatly and Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Tell Artemis that. See how well that goes down."

I hesitated and looked at Thea who'd finally seemed to notice me. She didn't smile like she usually did when she saw me. She looked conflicted.

"So I'm just supposed to do nothing?" I asked.

"It's for your own good Adam." Thalia said sternly. "Or do you really think you can take on a god?"

As if she'd heard this, Artemis had turned in our direction. She didn't look angry, but I could tell it was because she'd thought she'd already won. She looked at me with a mild interest clearly wondering the same thing I was. Did I have the guts to walk over there?

"Stay away from Thea." Thalia said quietly. "You might be strong, but this is a fight you're not going to win."


	24. Chapter 24

Tpov

The next couple of days passed in a blur. When I wasn't training with Adam in the arena, I was either spending it on the hunt or planning out battle strategy with the hunters. Never before had I had so much fun at camp, or been more conflicted about if I wanted to stay. When I was with the hunters I thought I could easily leave. They felt closer then family and with them I was never bored but just as I thought I'd made up my mind, I'd run into Adam and start to reconsider. Now that Crystal was out of the picture, it felt like it had when I first met him and that was a feeling I wanted to chase, but I knew that every time I let myself be around him I was playing with fire.

Before I knew it, Friday had come and it was time to play capture the flag.

"You ready?" Madeline said excitedly as she braided my hair in the same style as she and all the hunters were wearing for the game. They were just as excited for tonight as the campers. As Abby put it, "no monster is as satisfying to defeat as a fellow demigod."

"Is that even a question?" I asked with a smirk and she giggled.

"We're going to crush them." She agreed tying off the braid and looking at me with a strange smile.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing it's just." She hesitated. "You really look like a huntress. Look."

She gestured towards the mirror that hung on the back of the door, and I walked over to it.

At the beginning of the week when I looked at myself in this mirror I thought I looked strange. I thought the gear was bizarre and the ornate braids made me look like I was some sort of beauty contestant wanna be, but I liked the way it looked now. It was the image of a huntress, an image to which I felt I truly belonged.

"It's like you were born to be one of us." Madeline said happily putting an arm around my shoulder.

Though I'd known her less than a week, I knew what she meant. I'd felt as if I'd known these girls my whole life and I couldn't deny I felt more like a hunter than a camper these days.

"It would explain a lot." I said grinning and she tugged my braid cheerfully.

"Get a move on ladies!" Thalia's voice called through out the cabin and I saw several heads poke into the hallway from various rooms. "The game starts in a half an hour, and her ladyship wants you outside in five minutes, weapons and gear ready. We still need to review our final battle strategy and pick a location for our flag. Let's go."

"Duty calls." Madeline said brightly and we both grabbed our weapons, then walked into the hall and out the front door.

We'd just met up with Artemis and rounded up the last member of the hunters, a young blonde girl named Bree, when just as we were about to set out, I heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me ladies or hunters." We all turned to see Adam standing alone looking a little awkward as several of the girls glared at him, with the exception of Madeline who smiled and waved in a friendly manner, and Thalia who raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Hi." He said nodding to Madeline then looking at Artemis apparently ignoring his sister. "I was hoping to talk to Thea before the game. In private if that's alright."

She considered him for a moment and it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Her eyes were narrowed and though it took her a long time to respond, she didn't look angry.

"I'll allow it." She said stoically then turned to me. "Thea, meet us at the creek that separates the two team territories. We'll fill you in on the battle plan when you return to us."

"Alright." I said with a nod and with one final look of interest at Adam, she nodded to her hunters and they walked in the direction of the forest but not before Adam finally looked at Thalia and they shared a significant look.

"It's so weird to see you taking orders." He said watching their figures retreat to the trees but then shifting his focus back to me. "What Chiron wouldn't give for that ability?"

"Well it's not exactly the same-" I started but he cut me off.

"I know." He said shaking his head. "It's actually what I came here to talk to you about."

He paused, but I couldn't think of anything to say so I let him gather his thoughts.

"Gods," he muttered running his fingers through his hair looking a little out of sorts. "I must have practiced saying this a hundred times and I still can't get it right."

"Get what right?" I asked frowning.

"Look," he said sounding frustrated that he couldn't seem to find the right words. "I know that Artemis expects an answer from you by the end of the night, and I also know what you're probably going to decide. And no matter how much I don't like it, I also want you to be happy." He said sounding as if his next words were costly to say. "And it seem like with them you are. I think they're good for you. You're not getting into trouble anymore and I think it might be a good thing for someone like you to get out of this camp and be around people at your own level who can protect and support you in a way we never did. I think you've been cooped up here too long. You were meant for better things for that. You were supposed to get out, and maybe this is how."

He wasn't looking at me now but at the ground.

"But, if you do decide to go with them I don't want you to forget about me ok?" He suddenly looked up and I saw how seriously he meant this.

"Adam, I could never forget about you." I said quietly.

"See, you say that now," he said shaking his head seeming jittery, as if he'd drank too much caffeine. "But what about in a hundred years, or even a thousand when you're still seventeen and I'm long dead, and you're one of the man hating clones she's created?"

"First of all," I said with a grin. "I'm not a man hater nor will I ever be. And second, I would tell all of the new demigods that I personally knew the legendary hero Adam Kall. You know, if you're not a God by then."

He gave me half a smile.

"Well, we'll see. But in the mean time. I wanted to give you something."

"What?" I asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an ornate ring made of celestial bronze that was fashioned like a lightening bolt coiled around itself.

"My father gave this to me my first birthday after I found out who I was." He said holding out for me to take. "I want you to have it."

"Adam." I said softly using my hand to close his fingers over it and push his hand back. "I couldn't. It's from your-"

"No." he said shaking his head quickly. "I'm supposed to give it to someone."

"Wait, what?" I asked confused.

"It's meant for someone else." He explained. "Wearing this ring will temporarily grant you access to some of my power. Lightening, wind, storm control, all of it."

"But why are you giving this to me?" I asked utterly stunned.

"Because of what my father said when he gave it to me." He said his gaze meeting mine. "When he gave this to me he said, 'You're in for a rough life. You are the son of the King of Olympus and you will always be a target but nothing, no physical pain or mental distress you will endure will compare to the pain of loosing someone you truly care about because you could not protect them.' He then took this ring off his finger and gave it to me with the strict instructions that I could give it to one person, and only one, who I wanted to protect."

He opened his palm and looked back down at the ring.

"I've seen people die Thea." He said quietly. "For years I've been asking myself who I could have saved, or who I should give this to, because it only works once. If I change my mind or try and take it back it's power is gone. But when I realized you might be leaving, I just." He paused. "I just knew it was you."

I tried to think of something to say, but words utterly failed me as I continued to look up at him.

"Look. I know you'll be protected." He said and it was his turn to put the ring in my hand and close my fingers over it. "I know you'll have the hunters and you're the last person who needs taking care of, but I've made up my mind and it will make me feel better if you have it. So please, take it. Use it if you're ever find yourself in a situation where you're facing something you can't outrun. I don't think I could live with myself if you were added to the list of people I couldn't save."

"Ok." I said quietly and what he did next surprised me.

He placed a finger under my chin and lifted it gently so I was forced to look directly into his eyes. For a brief breathless second I was certain he was going to kiss me, which would have been very bad, but I had nothing to fear.

"You know, I always wanted to know what it was like being teamed with you in capture the flag just one more time." He said quietly then took a small step back from me so he could take in my huntress gear. "I guess now I'll never know."

I watched him walk back to the cabins, his hands in his pockets, painfully aware of the ring that was now resting in my palm. It was still slightly warm from when he'd held it.

Apov

"So?" Kyle asked as I stepped into the forest to met him and the rest of the team which included Tess, Dennis, Michael, Derek, and Austin who would be attempting to keep up with the strategy Michael would have normally devised for Thea. "Did you give her the ring?"

"Yep." I said strapping on my armor.

The sun was starting to set and between the branches of the trees I could see the sky looked beautiful but I found I couldn't enjoy it. Not tonight.

"Excellent," he said with a grin. "So, is she staying?"

"Nope." I said shortly.

"WHAT?!" he shouted attracting several people's attention and he quickly lowered his voice. "Why not?" he asked urgently. "What went wrong?"

"Nothing." I said shrugging. "She took it, simple as that."

"Then _why_ isn't she staying?" he asked stressing the word.

"Because I didn't ask her to." I said flatly.

"Excuse me?" he asked indignantly while Tess and Dennis, who'd noticed his outburst wandered over and Tess asked.

"Is everything alright?"

"No, everything is not alright!" Kyle muttered angrily. "The idiot didn't tell Thea to stay."

"What?" Tess practically shrieked her eyes wide and again, people looked over.

"What is wrong with you?" Dennis asked looking at me as if I were deranged.

"Would you guys calm down?" I asked irritated.

"Why didn't you ask her?" Kyle asked smacking his hand to his forehead. "What about all that stuff we practiced and practiced for you to say? Did you seriously forget all of it?"

"No."

"Then what gives?" Dennis asked furiously. He looked as if he were debating grabbing Kyle's bow and shooting me with it.

"Because as I was trying to find the best way to put what I wanted to say, I realized that everything that was about to come out was about me and what I wanted. I wanted her to stay because I wanted her in _my_ life. It would make _me_ happy. But what about Thea?"

"What about her?" Kyle asked in exasperation.

"She _is_ happy!" I insisted and they frowned at me. "She finally feels like she found a place where she belongs, people who accept her and they're good for her. Better than we ever were. Haven't you noticed that in the week she's been with the hunters, she hasn't got into trouble once?"

"So? They keep her busy. That's an important step to mind control." Kyle said sourly.

"They keep her engaged." I said. "She's finally with people who can utilize her powers effectively and not stuck in camp where she's bound to act out. As much as it sucks, I think the hunters are healthy for Thea."

"But what about you?" Tess asked quietly. "If Thea's a huntress, then you can't-"

"I know." I said flatly. "But that doesn't really matter anymore does it?"

They continued to look at me uncertainly.

"Look, there's no use complaining about it. It's done." I said shrugging and putting on my helmet. "Let's just lose and get this over with."

"How do you know we're going to lose?" Dennis said uncertainly. I guess he hadn't been at camp long enough to hear how good the hunters were.

"Thea always gets the flag." Kyle and I, who'd heard it so many times, said in unison.

"Yeah, and now she's a hunter." Kyle continued putting on his helmet as well. "Teamed with other hunters. And a Goddess. We'll be lucky if this game lasts ten minutes."

The hunting horn blared and we each went to our posts. I was supposed to be on an offensive line with Austin, Derek, and surprisingly Dennis who, despite his initial trepidation about camp was quickly adapting to his role in cabin 11. Once too terrified to even look at other campers, he was walking among the elite team looking quite at his ease in a way that reminded me of his sister.

Michael had planned a diversion, he was going to lead a massive invasion with the Apollo and Ares cabin members while we were supposed to go in pairs, Austin and Derek and Dennis and I, fitting the strongest fighters with the two people that just might be able to slip past the hunters while they were distracted. Derek and I were basically human shields protecting them from anything that might get in their way until we located the flag. Then they'd use their speed and skills to try and take it without detection. It was a good plan, but I couldn't help but think it wasn't going to work. Maybe, just maybe, if we had Thea with us we could have been fast enough but that wasn't the case.

"Well," Derek said as we reached the creek that separated the two territories. "See you on the other side I guess."

I nodded. We'd be going two separate locations where Michael thought it would be likely for them to hide their flag.

Austin took off much faster than Derek who stumped along after him swearing proficiently and I looked at Dennis who was staring after his brother.

"After you." I said and his eyes darted to me. They were nothing like Thea's but I could definitely see her in the expression he was giving me, the smile was familiar.

"Try and keep up." He said smirking.

He started running in the opposite direction of Austin and Derek and though I was almost a foot taller than Dennis, I had to admit it was difficult to keep up. He darted between trees as easily as if they weren't there and things like rocks and roots just didn't seem to bother him.

"Gods you're slow." He complained as I tripped over one and I was about to say something, annoyed, when I felt a familiar crackling in the air.

"Duck!" I shouted tackling him to the ground and redirecting the bolt of lightening that had almost fried him.

We looked up to see Thalia and the goddess Artemis stepping out of the trees, both of them smirking at me confidently.

"Hello brother dear." Thalia said sweetly taking out her bow and pointing it not at me, but at Dennis.

"Run." I said looking at him and he didn't need telling twice. He shot off into the trees and Thalia laughed.

"Let's see how fast he can move." Thalia said with interest pulling back her bow string but I used a bolt of my own to smite the arrow that had formed out of the air and she looked at me with interest. "You've gotten stronger."

"Do you think you will require assistance?" Artemis asked looking at Thalia as she trained her bow on me.

"No, you go after the flag my lady. I think I can handle my little brother."

"You're not older than me!" I said in irritation and Artemis laughed as she took off not after Dennis, but towards my team's territory.

Unsheathed my sword, ready for a fight but the second Artemis was out of earshot, Thalia lowered her bow.

"You're not going to shoot me?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be an idiot Adam. I want to talk to you."

"Now?" I asked in surprise.

"Do you really want to talk about that ring when Artemis or any of the other hunters around?" she asked raising an eyebrow and I felt a shock go through me. "What? Thought I wouldn't recognize something of our fathers?"

I didn't answer.

"Why'd you give it to her?" she asked her eyes narrowing.

"I'm sure you've figured that out by now." I said quietly and she looked even more irritated.

"You're an idiot." She said sparks flying from her finger tips.

"Look I just thought-"

"No." she said flatly. "You didn't think. If you had thought, you would have listened to me and stayed away from her."

"Why does this matter so much to you?"

"Because I don't think you realize just how much Artemis wants Thea, and she doesn't take kindly to men that make her hunters second guess themselves and if she thought you made Thea change her mind or even tried to convince her to stay..." she shook her head. "I've already gone through the pain of losing a brother once." She continued sadly and I knew she was thinking of her separation from her actual little brother Jason. "I don't want that to happen again."

"So she has made up her mind then?" I asked softly and Thalia frowned.

"It's kind of hard to tell with her actually. No one really seems to know what she's thinking but if I were forced to guess I would say yes, I think she has."

Of course it was what I'd suspected but that didn't make hearing it any easier. Even though I hadn't asked Thea to stay, a small part of me couldn't help but hope she would. It had been crushed as Thalia spoke.

"Jeez Adam, don't look so upset." She said looking a little surprised. "There are plenty of other girls that I'm sure-"

"Have you met another girl like her?" I asked and she hesitated.

"Look can we just go back to trying to kill each other?" I asked and she grinned.

"If you want." She said raising her bow. "You're more comfortable warding off death than facing feelings aren't you?"

"Yeah actually." I said raising my sword and she laughed. Sparks flew from her finger tips again and shocks arched across the arrow that had now formed.

"Just remember. You asked for it."


	25. Chapter 25

Tpov

"Mortals really don't notice much." Madeline said amused as we waited for the scouts to pass us beneath us.

"Not really." I said grinning and together we dropped from the branch we'd been sitting on and started running towards the command center I knew Michael would have set up in the western end of the woods.

"So how do you know we'll be able to figure out where the flag is if we find the command center?"

"I've been on Michael's team for capture the flag for years." I said laughing as the shot the dagger out of an Apollo girl's hand and we easily blew right passed her. "He's a brilliant strategist but he needs a home base. If we find it and his battle plans it will have the location of the flag on it."

"So we can go straight to it instead of wandering around or hoping a captured camper will tell us." She grinned. "Smart."

We continued to run, taking down every stray camper we ran into until we hit a series of traps and I knew we must be close.

"Well?" Madeline asked as we stopped in front of a stretch of the creek that was clearly rigged with landmines. "We could probably get across if we were careful enough. I mean most new hunters I'd be worried about but you seem pretty light on your feet. What do you th-"

But I pulled her out of the way as an arrow sailed through the space she'd so recently been occupying.

I swore and drew my sword as several campers stepped out of the woods including Michael and Kyle, who were both wearing smirks.

"Evening Thea." Michael said cheerfully while Madeline readied her weapon.

"Welcome to our trap." Kyle said as he and several of the campers raised bows, all trained on us.

I knew why they looked so smug. They had us surrounded on all sides, the only way out was through the creek full of mines and there was no way we'd be able to navigate through it fast enough not to get shot.

"Now that we have you two nice and cornered." Michael said casually. "Would you care to tell us where you've hidden your flag? I mean, unless you prefer to be shot full of arrows."

"I don't think either will happen." I said grinning.

I'd gotten a decent look at one of the mines while they were gloating and I knew exactly who made them.

"Oh really?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Really." I said casually letting my sword shrink back into my necklace and holding my hands up as if in surrender.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because there's a flaw with your mine trap." I said amused.

"What?" Kyle asked but I saw Michael's eyes go wide as he realized his mistake.

"He forgot who tested them."

"Shoot them!" he shouted but before any of their archers could even reach for their quivers, I grabbed my bow and Madeline and I both turned to the creek. I knew I wouldn't have to tell her where to aim. She would know.

We pulled back the bow strings in unison and let arrows fly into the trigger wires of two of the bombs.

"BOOM!"

Madeline and I laughed as smoke, stones, and water were thrown into the air and the campers were forced to scatter for cover. The bombs had set off a chain reaction down the creek setting off more traps.

"C'mon!" I shouted grabbing her hand and dragging her through the chaos.

"You know Thea!" she yelled as we ducked a boulder that had been catapulted across the creek. "I think you might be insane!"

"It's possible!"

We continued sprinting between arrows and campers and made our way on to the camper territory. Not ten minutes later we'd found the command center. It wasn't very impressive, just a few tents with a make shift fence made of razor wire around it and a few spikes every few feet.

"This place is a ghost town." Madeline said looking at the few guards that were posted around the site. There weren't nearly as many as I expected.

"He must have known I'd come here. And that he wouldn't be able to keep us out. I guess he's focusing man power on defense on the flag itself and the raiding party we saw earlier."

We had the plans in no time.

"Ah, here we go." I said brightly glancing at the map to see the flag was located just outside cave not too far from here.

In the distance we heard thunder rumbling and we both looked up at the sky.

"I guess Thalia found Adam." Madeline said glancing back at the map. "Think they've got any surprises lined up for us at the flag?"

"Oh I have no doubt." I said grinning when I spotted the familiar symbol indicating who would be in charge of the flag's last line of defense."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because of that." I said gesturing towards the fiery hammer. Of course Michael would put her there. No doubt he knew I'd find the flag and I knew he'd find this match up particularly funny.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Cuz you're about to meet my friend Tess." I said chuckling and putting my bow back over my shoulder. "And I don't think you're going to like her very much."

"Why would I not like your friend?"

"Just wait until we reach the flag." I said my smile growing as we started to run. "Then we'll see if you're asking that question."

It took us less than ten minutes, and when we reached it I saw Madeline's eyes go wide. In front of us was not so much a barricade, but what looked like a fortress that had been built in the woods that the Hephaestus cabin must have been working on all week while we hunters had been out and about. Inside the metal walls were holes for cannons and at turrets were catapults ready to hurl rocks that I knew would soon be flaming with Greek fire. In the ground in front of us was more razor wire and landmines and if that weren't enough, there was a slight creaking and a rumbling sound that was coming from the cave where red eyes were glowing in the darkness. I didn't know what, but some sort of mechanical monster was in there, just waiting for us to try and touch the flag.

"See what I mean?" I asked grinning

"You're right." She muttered. "I don't like your friend."

"TESS!" I shouted and a short figure poked and helmeted head over the side of the rampart. "Are you seriously going to try and kill me?"

"What good is your speed if you can't dodge a couple of lousy traps!" she shouted back.

"You know I'm going to get in there! Why don't you save us all some time and just bring out the flag?"

"You know I don't think I will!" she shouted and I could hear the smile in her voice.

My smile grew as several silver lined figures stepped out from between the trees including Thalia, Abby, and Artemis herself.

"I'm impressed Thea." The goddess said looking at me in approval. "You got here before we did."

"I had help." I said and Madeline beamed at me.

I turned back to Tess.

"So we're doing this then?" I called and I heard her laugh.

"Oh please! Don't pretend like you haven't always wanted to go up against me!"

I smirked. Well she had a point.

"Are we ready ladies?" Artemis said and while the others raised their bows I readied my sword. More demigods were appearing over the fortress wall, several of them archers.

"We're ready." Thalia answered for us, her eyes glittering with excitement and for once Abby was grinning.

"Well, why don't we remind the campers why we are the undefeated champions? Thalia?"

"On it." she said drawing back her bow string and an arrow appeared. The others followed her example while I prepared to run.

Thalia released her arrow soon followed by the others and I heard Tess shout.

"FIRE AT WILL!"

All hell broke lose. It felt as if the world had exploded as the assault began. My vision became nothing more than flashes of fire and chunks of flying rubble. People were shouting battle cries as I dodged arrows and obstacles covered by the others hunters who were following me at a much slower pace, shooting up at the demigods above us.

I made it to the door and easily opened the lock of the fortress door mentally, only to find myself standing in front of a semi circle of demigods guarding the entrance, each of them holding a spear pointed directly at me.

"Hi." I said brightly.

They charged but were thrown back by a wave of lightning that seemed to some how miss me and Thalia stepped through the door after me, obviously having followed the path I'd deemed safe.

"Shall we?" she asked smugly looking at the stunned and groaning campers on the floor.

Together we made our way towards the second wave of demigods that were charging for us. It wasn't hard, especially when the others joined us. Finally, I managed to break through their ranks and reached the mouth of the cave where the flag was standing suspiciously out in the open. It fluttered innocently in the breeze but I didn't reach for it quite yet.

"Ok Tess." I said eyeing the cave warily. The eyes had disappeared but I wasn't stupid enough to think whatever had been in there was gone. "What have you got planned for me?"

I grabbed the flag, and ducked as I heard the trip wire set of a series of mechanisms. Arrows flew above me from hidden crossbows disguised as bushes and I froze when I heard a low growl.

I turned to see something massive and bronze stepping out of the cave into the trees, it's eyes glowing like red hot coals. The metal cheetah fixed its eyes on me, incredibly detailed, beautifully put together in a way only Tess and her siblings could. It moved as smoothly as a real cat and though I could hear the whirring and clanking of it's gears, it's chest heaved in a way that made it seem almost like it breathed.

I grinned when I spotted something engraved on the side.

'Klepto catcher 9000.'

"Like it?" A familiar voice asked and I turned to see Tess not that far from me.

"Klepto catcher?" I asked her laughing. "Really?"

"We've been working on this for years." She said smirking. "Just on the off chance you and I ended up on separate teams."

"It's a good design." I said looking back at the cheetah. "I wonder which one of us is faster?"

"Me too." She said amused. "Did I mention it was turbo powered?"

"Is it really?"

"Yeah. Want a head start?"

"In your dreams Fixit." I said letting my sword shrink back into my necklace and redoubling my grip on the flag.

"Alright then." She said with an evil laugh and the cheetah looked at her waiting for a command. "Klepto, fetch."

…..

The game didn't last very long after I'd gotten the flag. While the campers put up a brilliant fight, there were just no way they could compete us. While I felt a little disappointed that the camp had continued their loosing streak, I'm not going to lie. It felt pretty damn awesome to bring that flag back to Artemis and the other hunters.

After the game, Artemis removed the enchantment she'd given to make me a temporary hunter saying she awaited my decision after the bonfire tonight, but I was pretty sure I had my answer. There was just one thing that was holding me back, the ring Adam had given me that was now attached safely to my camp necklace.

"So," a voice said entering my room in my father's cabin and I looked up to see Tess leaning against the doorframe and spotting my back pack and duffle bag. "You're not silver any more, but you haven't unpacked."

"Artemis said she had to take the temporary enchantment off in order to do a permanent one. In the mean time I'm spending some time with my friends and family."

"So you're really going to go with her?" she asked looking a little disappointed and I nodded.

"I think so."

"Well I can't say I'm thrilled about it." She said straightening up and holding out her arms for a hug. "But if it makes you happy I'm happy for you."

I smiled and crossed the room to pull her into a hug.

"So when are you leaving?" she asked as we broke apart.

"After the bonfire probably." I said. "There's rumors that a pack of hell hounds has spawned near here and she wants to go after it."

"You're not even a proper huntress yet and she's already got worked lined up for you." She said and I laughed.

"I guess I'd better get used to that." I said checking my watch. "But we'd better get going, it's almost time for the camp fire."

We walked towards the camp fire together and for a moment it felt like old times. She went to sit with her family, and I sat with mine, but then the hunters showed up and I caught Adam staring at me from across the fire and the ring on my necklace felt heavier. A constant reminder of how much things had changed.

The camp fire went as it usually did. The Apollo cabin lead us in a couple of songs and a couple people acted out a scene from the Iliad, but I was anxious to get it all over with. Today was my last day as a camper and I was eager to get it over with and start my new life with the hunters. That, and I didn't think I could stand seeing Adam look at me. It had been hard enough making the decision without him saying what he had before the game. I just wanted to move on and he wasn't making it easy.

Just as I'd started saying my goodbyes to my siblings and things around the camp fire were starting to wrap up, there was a brilliant white flash across the sky as what looked like a star hurtled towards the earth.

"Hit the ground!" Chiron shouted and we dove for cover as whatever was heading towards us, crashed straight into the fire scattering flames and hot coals everywhere.

"What the Hades is going on?" I asked looking over at Austin who shrugged as a man shaped figure rose and stumbled out of the flames.

"Chiron!" said a voice I recognized, but couldn't quite believe I was hearing. "Chiron you have a message from Olympus, dear Gods it's chaos up there. Eris is at it again, up to her usual tricks. She's stolen it, them, everything! And she's locked them away!"

My eyes met Austin's again, and I knew he was thinking the same exact thing.

I pushed myself off the ground to see a tall skinny man with neat brown hair and mischievous hazel eyes, just like mine.

"Dad?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh hello Thea sweetie," he said giving me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked stressed. "I heard you were joining the hunters, I'm so proud!" he then turned back to Chiron as, slowly, the other campers recovered from their shock and picked themselves up as well. "Chiron, you need to send a team on a mission right away or Olympus is going to be destroyed!"

"Calm down." Chiron said looking a little alarmed at the desperate expression on my father's face. "What happened?"

"I told you, it's Eris. She stole an artifact from each one of the Olympians and she's locked them away somewhere. Look!" he said stretching out one of his sandals. "She even took one of my wings! That's why I can't break properly." He said gesturing to the smoldering pile of half burnt logs that, thirty seconds ago, had been our campfire. "It's chaos up there, everyone's accusing people of stealing other people's possessions. Things are falling apart!"

"Adam." Chiron said his expression tense and everyone turned towards him. "How fast can you get ready?"

"I'll start packing now." He said standing.

"He'll have to take one of mine Chiron." My father said gesturing towards the unorganized mass of Hermes siblings that had just gotten to their feet.

"Adam prefers to do missions alone." Chiron said.

"But you don't understand Chiron." He said frantically. "The place where she's hidden them, it's vault made for her specially by Hephaestus himself. It's got traps that trigger bombs, and Greek fire, it's delicate work that can't be done by the son of Zeus. He'd have to be an escort at best."

"An escort for what?"

"Someone who can get in." he said. "It's got to be one of mine."

There was a moment of silence where I saw anger creep into Adam's eyes, but then Chiron turned to Austin and said. "Which one is the best at picking locks?"

"That would be Thea." He said and everyone looked at me. A low buzz was starting around what was left of the fire as people started to whisper to each other. "She's the best at thieving in general."

"No!" said Adam indignantly.

"Can I say something?" Artemis said crossing her arms over her chest and looking annoyed and everyone went silent.

"Of course." Chiron said politely but his eyes flashed.

"As a huntress, Thea is unavailable for missions or quests run through the camp unless given express permission by me."

At this I saw Adam look relieved, but it was short lived.

"This is perfectly true," Chiron said pleasantly. "If Thea was a huntress, but technically Thea is not a member of the hunt right now is she?"

Anger flashed through Artemis's eyes but Chiron continued his voice calm.

"Unless I am mistaken, Thea has taken no oath. She is still a camper and in that respect has every right to choose to accept or deny any mission she wishes."

I looked at my father.

"Where are we going?"

"You're not going anywhere." Adam said angrily.

"Why not?" I asked indignantly.

"She hasn't even been on a mission before!" he said looking at Chiron. "You can't just throw her into something so important. She wouldn't know what to do."

"Excuse me?" I asked offended. "I can handle myself."

"In the arena maybe, but this is the real world Thea." He said darkly.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with me going into the real with the hunters." I said and his expression hardened.

People were looking back and forth between us as if watching an extremely intense tennis match.

"Yeah," he said in exasperation. "That's when you with were other, experienced people. There's a ton of them, and only one of me. What happens if we get separated?"

"Then I'll fend for myself." I said angrily.

"No you won't." he said and again looked back at Chiron. "I refuse to accept this mission until Thea's reassigned."

"Then I'll go by myself!" I said in frustration.

"What?" he asked in furious disbelief.

"You heard me." I said my eyes narrowing. "I'm the one they need for this mission, not you. If you don't want to go that's fine, but I am." I turned to look at Chiron. "I accept."

"Well then I claim seniority." He said looking at Chiron who was frowning. Traditionally, more experienced heroes got their pick of missions. Unlike quests that were assigned by the oracle, missions were given to the person Chiron thought was best suited for the job. This of course that meant that all the good missions went to the most powerful demigods and also the older more experienced heroes had the ability to petition a case for missions that were not assigned to them that they wanted.

"And how exactly do you expect to get through that lock?" My father asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'll figure something out." He growled.

"Enough," Chiron said eventually looking between Adam and I. "Both of you are being ridiculous. Adam, I will grant you as leader of the mission." He said and Adam looked relieved, but once again, it only lasted a couple of seconds. "But Thea _will_ be the one to accompany you on this mission, no arguments." He said stiffly when Adam started to protest and there was an angry clap of thunder shook the air above us, but he remained silent. "I want both of you packed, armed, and back here ready to leave by the morning. Hermes," he said gesturing to my father who'd been looking at Adam his expression difficult to read. "Give me all the information you can, I'll need to brief those two before they leave."

Adam glared daggers after Chiron and my father but then turned to Kyle.

"Help Thea pack." He said stiffly. "She's never been on a mission before. Make sure she brings what she needs."

He nodded then walked awkwardly towards me.

"Let's go." He said uncomfortably and I we extremely aware of the eyes that followed us as we made our way to the cabin.


	26. Chapter 26

Apov

Thea and I left camp late the next morning after a mission briefing from Chiron. He told us that Hermes had tracked Eris to Washington DC, where he was pretty sure she'd stashed the stolen artifacts in one of it's historic banks, but was unable to go after her himself because of the chaos in Olympus.

"How long are you going to pout?" Thea asked crossing her arms over her chest as I stared out the bus window. It was raining and I'd been ignoring her. Up until now, she'd done a good job containing herself, but we were two hours into our trip to DC and she was starting to get restless. She kept twitching and staring around the cab of the bus as if hoping something about it had changed and I had a feeling she was bored. "Because if you don't start talking to me, I _will_ end up stealing something and we'll probably get kicked off the bus. I don't think either of us want to walk the rest of the way."

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked still not looking at her.

I wasn't even sure why I was so upset. By all accounts I should have been thrilled. These were likely my last hours with Thea before she became a hunter, and I got to spend them with her alone, but I couldn't help myself. I knew I was shooting myself in the foot ruining this by my bad mood, but it just wasn't fair. Out of anyone who could have been chosen for this mission Chiron had had to pick her. A camp full of eligible demigods, and Thea was the one who was sent with me.

"Well you seem to be pretty interested in the weather." She said sarcastically and I glared at her reflection which was watching me for a reaction. "Or we could address the actual problem."

"Which is?"

"You throwing a hissy fit over not getting your way."

"This isn't a hissy fit." I said coldly.

"Yes it is."

"Thea, I'm actually mad." I said finally turning to look at her and her expression was stubborn.

"Why?"

"Because you shouldn't be here." I said angrily. "This isn't some little rescue mission just because a satyr stumbled into a couple of monsters. This mission is dangerous. We're stealing from a God. And Chiron knows that."

I noticed the man across the aisle give us a strange look.

"Keep your voice down." she muttered watching him out of the corner of her eye and only continuing when he replaced his headphones. "And besides, you know Chiron had to ask me. I'm the best person for the job."

"You didn't have to accept." I said bitterly.

"You're mad at me?" she asked indigently.

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked looking at me like I was crazy.

"I thought that would be obvious." I muttered annoyed.

"Well it's not." She said sounding just as irritated. "So explain."

I found it hard to look at her at the moment, so I looked back out the window.

"I thought I made it clear to how important your safety was to me." I said bitterly. "And literally the first chance you get you're eager to sign up for a dangerous mission and throw it all away. So yeah," I said feeling my jaw set. "I'm mad at you. What if you don't come back from this mission Thea?" I asked coldly. "Then it really would be my fault."

"Adam, nothing is going to happen." She said in a pacifying tone.

"Don't say that." I muttered. "Do you know how many people have said that to me and something did? Why do you think I always do these things on my own?"

"I'm sorry." She said and I could see in her reflection she was toying with my father's ring. "But you know there was no other way."

"Yeah, I know." I said quietly. "I think that's the worst part."

With the hunters it didn't seem so bad. She was surrounded by extremely powerful demigods and a Goddess that would protect her at all costs, but now, it was just me and her against a world full of monsters and we were walking directly into what I knew must be a trap.

"You know what's weird?" she asked and I glanced at her. "Besides me." She added guessing my response and I managed a smile.

"What?" I asked.

"Seeing you in the mortal world." She said giving me a shrewd look. "I just realized, I know nothing about you outside of camp."

"Why does that matter?" I asked uncomfortably. I didn't like it when my camp life and mortal life intersected.

"It doesn't really." She said shrugging. "It's just interesting. I feel like there's a whole other side of you I've never seen before."

"There's really not that much to tell." I said evasively wishing she would stop looking at me so curiously. "What about you?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"I haven't lived liked a mortal for years." She said sounding lost in thought.

"But what was it like?" I asked finding myself genuinely interested.

I'd only ever seen Thea as a fully realized demigod.

"I dunno," she said shrugging. "Like most of us I don't think I exactly had a normal childhood. If I wasn't running away or being chased by monsters, I was being shunted from one school to the next. I didn't have much time to make friends."

"What about Blake?"

"He's one of the few people I really got along with." She said with a shrug then looked at me curiously. "Have you ever been expelled?"

"No." I said honestly and she grinned.

"Guess I should have expected that. So, you had a pretty normal childhood?"

"Yeah." I said avoiding her eye.

She waited, obviously hoping I would elaborate but I didn't so she continued.

"So, I guess you have mortal friends then?"

"A few."

"How do you explain where you go all summer? Or any break for that matter? Space camp?" she asked grinning.

"Something like that."

She seemed to register my tone because she frowned.

"Do you not want to talk about this?"

"I just don't see why it matters." I said glancing at her and she shrugged again.

"It's just interesting. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I don't." I said flatly.

"Alright." She said quietly and went back to staring around the bus.

Predictably, within seconds she was bored. After a few minutes of fidgeting, she turned to me again.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Why not what?"

"Why don't you want to talk about it?" she asked with interest. "I mean, you don't have to answer, it's just, I don't really understand what could be so bad."

I hesitated. I didn't know why talking to Thea about my life in the mortal world seemed difficult, I'd talked to Kyle and Crystal about it but Thea was different. For so long she had existed exclusively in the camp part of my life. It was the only context in which she knew me. I wasn't sure if seeing my mortal life would change her opinion of me or not.

"Do you have like an embarrassing family or something?" she asked grinning.

"You said I didn't have to answer." I said.

"Alright." She said humoring me. "But do you have music or something? I don't have a window to stare out of."

I dug my iPod out of my bag and handed it to her along with a set of headphones and she grabbed it eagerly.

"You know I've never used one of these before." She said grinning and looking at me. "How does it work?"

I looked at her, trying to gauge if she was serious or not, but she continued to look at me her eyes shining with excitement and I grinned.

"Well first you've got to unlock it." I said.

"I'm good at unlocking things." She said vaguely and I laughed.

I pressed the lock button and her eyes went wide as the screen lit up.

"What's a passcode?" she asked confused reading it off the screen.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. It's code that lets you into the iPod."

"Got it." she said typing in a string of numbers and I stared at her in shock.

"How did you..." I said in disbelief but she grinned.

"I'm good at unlocking things, remember?"

"A girl who can unlock technology." I said a little amused. "You're like every teenage guy's worst nightmare."

She grinned but frowned when I pressed the music button and she scrolled through my selection.

"Do you only have classical music?" she asked indignantly.

"You're in the genera section."

"Oh." She said tapping the songs button and looking through titles. "Still, you have a lot. What are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you can shoot lightning out of your finger tips and spend your school holidays slashing up monsters. I was expecting something a little more 'Highway to Hell' not having tea with the queen."

"Yeah well considering what I can do, maybe it's a good thing I'm not listening the screeching you consider music."

"Yeah I guess." She said though she didn't look entirely convinced. "Still, what am I supposed to listen to? I don't know anything you have."

"Now you know how I felt at that concert you dragged me to."

"I thought you had fun." She said looking a little disappointed.

"I did." I admitted. "But that had a lot more to do with who I was with than what I was doing."

She grinned.

"So what you're saying is you're gonna come with me next time?"

"We'll see." I said amused.

"Well you can have this back." She said attempting to hand me the iPod.

"You don't want to use it?"

"Do you really expect me to listen to Chopin for three hours?"

"You might like it." I said and she raised an eyebrow, but I refused to take it and she shrugged. "Who knows, it might have a calming effect on your hyperactivity."

"Alright." She said with a sigh. "I'll give it a try."

To my very great surprise I was right. Thea had only been listening to the piano music for a few minutes before her fidgeting stopped and she seemed to zone out. Ten minutes later however, I realized that the music might have worked a little too well. I felt a weight on my shoulder and looked down in surprise to see Thea's eyes were closed.

'That did not take much.' I thought amused.

What Chiron would have given to figure this out?

I grinned and looked back out the window watching the cars and busses go by, vaguely wondering what Thea dreamed out. Probably warehouses full of padlocks for her to pick.

She was asleep for about an hour before the bus hit a pot hole and she was jerked awake.

"What the?" she asked looking around seeming confused.

"Welcome back." I said grinning and she rubbed her eyes.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days." I said gravely. "You missed it. The missions over."

"Don't joke." She said apparently irritated she'd been woken up. "You've never had a sense of humor before, why start now?"

"That's hurtful Thea." I said pretending to be upset and she rolled her eyes.

"Take this thing away from me." She said handing me the iPod. "I think your music is effecting my brain."

"Are you sure that's the worst thing?"

"Very funny," she said through while yawning and stretching. "Where are we?"

"We just reached Baltimore."

She gave me a blank look.

"Maryland."

Still nothing.

"We're an hour from DC."

"Oh." She said brightly.

"Do you honestly not know where Baltimore is?" I asked her in surprise.

"Hey." She said shrugging. "While you were learning the presidents and state capitals in your school. I was trying to figure out if I should make friends with the pyros or the state wards in case I needed to pick a side in a fight. And it's not exactly like they teach you U.S. geography at camp."

"Baltimore's not-" I started but cut myself off. It didn't really matter.

"So do missions usually start out this slowly?" she asked curiously. "I mean, every time I see you when you come back you look like you tried to slide down a giant cheese grater. But this really hasn't been that bad." She frowned. "I thought more would have happened by now."

"It really depends." I said with a shrug. "Usually I would have run into some sort of monster by now, but who knows, maybe you're my good luck charm."

"Well that's certainly never been said before." She muttered and I grinned.

A few moments passed and she spoke again.

"I know we've got an agenda while we're in the city." She said with a tone that made me look at her. She looked slightly excited. "But do you think we'll have time to do any cool stuff while we're there?"

"We're on a mission." I said frowning at her. She wasn't taking this very seriously.

"I know." She said defensively. "But I've never been to DC before. I'd like to look around."

Having grown up in the city, sight seeing to me sounded about as remarkable as days that end in y, but I didn't say this. She looked too excited. This did raise a question to me though, one which I asked.

"How have you never been to DC before? Isn't that like every fifth grader's big field trip?"

"How are you not getting this Adam?" She asked frowning. "The schools I went to didn't take us on field trips, not unless you were put in the 'scared straight' program. After that I was pretty much confined to camp or whatever was in walking distance. Except for the time I stole that chariot but Austin and I crashed that before we got anywhere interesting."

"Well," I said frowning. "I guess it doesn't really matter. I don't think we'll have time."

"You're probably right." She said and while her face was passive, I could tell she was a little disappointed.

"Maybe Artemis will take you." I said and she blinked, as if suddenly remembering something.

I'd said this in an attempt to cheer her up, but I found it only depressed me. In the time we'd been talking I'd forgotten Thea had all but officially agreed to join the hunters. I looked out the window, suddenly not wanting to look at her.

"Yeah." She said quietly. "Maybe."


	27. Chapter 27

Tpov

If anyone were to vote on Adam's 'good luck charm' theory, I was going to have going to have to go with a 'no' on that one.

Almost immediately after we reached DC, we ran into disaster.

"Whoa." I said impressed staring at the high ceilings of Union Station. All around us tourists and workers were hustling through the station trying to catch their busses and trains. "This place is huge."

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Adam said apparently unimpressed. "Wait here." He said giving me a stern look.

"Alright."

"Seriously Thea, don't move." He said.

"Ok." I said rolling my eyes. What did he think I was a five-year-old that was going to get lost?

Apparently he did, because his eyes narrowed as if he wasn't sure he could trust leaving me.

"I'll be fine." I said in exasperation.

"Alright, when I get back we can get a ticket to the red line and stop at the metro center."

"The what?"

"The red line." He said as if this were obvious.

"What like the subway?"

"Well yeah, but here it's called the metro. Whatever, just stay here."

He turned and made his way to the bathroom while I looked around me with interest. Union station was a strange place. Mixed with the chain sub and smoothie places were stores that sold travel pillows while others sold expensive jewelry.

"Who would buy diamonds at a train station?" I wondered allowed. I wanted to look around, but knew Adam would probably have an aneurysm if he couldn't find me when he got back so I resisted the temptation. I watched the travelers with interest, wondering where they were going, but froze when a man caught my eye.

He was tall and powerfully built with dark hair, and was giving me an intense look. Unlike most people who were flustered when they were caught staring at someone, this man didn't look away.

I felt my heart rate increase.

He seemed to debate something to himself for a moment, then, his eyes still fixed firmly on me, he started to talk my way.

I pulled my necklace off, ready to draw my weapon if I had to. He didn't look like a monster, but I knew some of them could take human form.

"Excuse me miss." He said when he'd crossed the hall and stopped a few feet from me, just close enough to see the security badge on his shirt. "You look a little young to be traveling on your own. How old are you?"

"Forty-seven," I said unable to control the sarcasm in my voice and inwardly I cursed myself. This was not the time to be mouthing off to adults.

He seemed to agree because his look of concern turned to one of irritation.

"Are you by yourself?" he asked flatly.

"No." I said honestly hoping Adam would hurry up. Maybe since he was eighteen this man would leave us alone.

"Do you have a parent or legal guardian with you?" the man continued.

I was spared the need to answer.

There was an enormous 'BOOM!' that echoed through out the station and several people screamed.

I turned to the source of the noise only to see people streaming out of the men's bathroom which smoke was pouring out of.

"Adam." I said in horror and immediately started running.

"Hey! Get back here!" the guard shouted as sirens started wailing and people shouted about bombs.

He grabbed my shoulder, but I easily threw him to the ground and continued sprinting towards the bathroom, darting through panicked crowd that was rushing to the exits, and trying to push my way towards the bathroom feeling my sword transform in my hand.

I was five feet from the door when it burst open and Adam hurtled through it quickly followed by a jet of fire.

"What did you DO?" I shouted in horror.

"That wasn't me!" he shouted indignantly grabbing my hand. "C'mon. We've got to get out of here before they seal off the building!"

He pulled me in the direction of a set of narrow escalators where he pushed people out of the way nearly running them over.

We jumped the turn styles and bolted for the nearest metro car. Already security was pouring into the dark underground tunnel, demanding that people stay calm and the trains be shut down.

"Thea, MOVE." Adam said pushing me into a packed car and stepping in himself just as the door started close.

"What just happened?" I asked my eyes wide.

"Dragon." He said shaking his head and lowering his voice as he earned a strange stare from a middle aged woman sitting on one the plastic chairs that dotted the car. "And there's probably more where it came from."

She wasn't the only one, Adam was attracting a fair amount of attention from our fellow passengers. His shirt was torn, his jeans looked like they had been singed slightly, and his face was streaked with ash no doubt from the explosion, but he didn't seem to notice the stares.

"Grab the rail." He said glancing at me and putting a hand on one of the many metal poles that ran from the floor to the ceiling of the car.

"What?" I asked my brain still on the possibilities of more monsters disguised as people around us, when suddenly, the car jerked forward and I was thrown off my feet.

"That's why you have to grab the rail." Adam said catching me with his free arm and holding me firmly to his side. "You really don't know much about the mortal world do you?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." I muttered embarrassed and grabbing the rail.

I noticed a couple of girls in cheerleading uniforms looking at him with interest. There were three of them in total, all of them were extremely pretty and staring daggers at me. I shuddered, I didn't know why but there was something I didn't like about them. They reminded me a little of Crystal.

Adam seemed to notice them too because he went stiff. The one in the center winked at him and I felt Adam instinctively pull me closer to him.

"Do you know them?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said gravely.

"Why do they look like they want to kill me?"

"Because they're going to try." He said quietly.

"What are you-"

"Empousa." He muttered and realization flooded through me.

Of course he would have run into them before. The blood sucking monsters fed on men, and their favorite were young, attractive demigods.

"How long until the metro center?" I asked.

"Two stops."

As he said this, the car started to slow and we pulled into another underground station.

The doors opened.

"You ready?" Adam asked quietly as suddenly, everyone in our car got to their feet and made their ways towards the door.

I thought this was strange, surely all these people wouldn't be getting off at the same time, but realization hit me when though the car was empty save Adam, the monsters, and I, no one stepped on, despite the crowds piled on the platform.

"Yeah." I said grabbing my necklace and feeling the sword grow in my hand.

The doors shut as Adam's weapon appeared in his hand, and the three girls got to their feet.

"Hello Adam." The tallest of the girls said sweetly. She was in the center and seemed to be the leader.

"Kelli." He said evenly.

"Who's your friend?" she asked with a wicked smile.

"You don't want to do this." He said stiffly. "I've killed you before and I can do it again."

"I'd like to see you try." She hissed.

The car started forward with a jerk, the lights went out, and the Empousai lunged.

Adam and I sprang apart and I caught Kelli's claws against the blade of my sword as she snarled.

"Oh you are a talented one."

"Thanks." I said darkly and throwing her off, but I wasn't feeling very grateful at the moment. Monster fighting already had its challenges, but Adam and I were out numbered, confined, and forced to fight just by the light of our celestial bronze. Conditions were certainly not in our favor.

I kicked her in the chest and she crashed back into a row of chairs, but just as I was about to pounce on her, time seemed to slow. I turned just in time and had to duck as a second Empousa jumped from the shadows.

She swore as she slammed into the window behind me and it cracked. Several feet away I heard a shriek. It sounded like Adam had dealt with third.

The train shuddered as it rounded a corner and picked up speed and I was forced to jump onto the seats as the second empousa recovered and kicked out, trying to sweep my legs out from under me.

"Well aren't you light on your feet?" someone hissed from behind me and I turned just in time to see Kelli's second attack.

I jumped back avoiding her fangs by inches and easily landed on the floor of the car.

Behind me, there was a bright flash, another shriek and it sounded as if the second monster was taken care of.

"You can't dance forever demigod." Kelli hissed as she clambered over the seat. "Sooner or later you're going to have to use that sword."

She reached for my throat. I ducked again and she hurtled over me as the car started to break.

"You're right." I said driving my sword up and catching her in the stomach.

She screamed and erupted into a disgusting yellow powder that rained over me.

"You ok?" Adam asked as walking to me from the opposite side of the car as the lights flickered on and we pulled into the next stop.

"Yeah," I said taking the hand he offered me and shaking as much of the dust off of me as I could as mortals filed onto the car, apparently noticing nothing out of the ordinary. "You?"

"I'm fine." He said apparently ignoring the blood running down his arm from a scratch on his bicep.

"You're bleeding."

He shrugged and turned his eyes towards the flood of passengers getting into the car, clearly keeping an eye out for more monsters.

The final stretch to the metro center was uneventful, but when we reached the station, I realized why.

It seemed every monster in DC had been told of our arrival and were waiting at our next stop.

The sprint to the turn styles was a blur of confused mortals, shrieking monsters, claws, fangs, and jets of acid or flames.

"We need to get above ground." Adam said swinging his sword through a bike messenger in order to get at a gryphon. The celestial bronze passed through the mortal easily leaving him unharmed, but slammed into the gryphon which squawked in fury.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" I asked stabbing a harpy that fell in a whirl of claws and feathers.

There was a massive Manticore prowling in front of the steps that lead to the surface part of the station.

"Exactly how fast can you run?" he asked grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling me out of the way of a stream of poison.

"Do you want to know in kilometers or miles per hour?" I asked slashing at a Gorgon.

"This is not the time for sarcasm!"

"I'm very fast Adam." I said annoyed. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Take this." He said pulling something from the side pocket of his bag and I recognized a flash grenade with Tess's signature wiring mechanism. "Tess made it you should know how it works. Get it under the Manticore."

"On it!" I said snatching it from his hand, pulling the pin, and starting to run.

Darting between monsters and mortals, I made it to the manticore and before he even registered the demigod in his presence, I slid between it's legs dropping the grenade and quickly getting to my feet, not bothering to look back as I ran as far and fast as I could.

'BOOM!'

A concussive noise exploded from the grenade that shook the walls of the station and again mortals started panicking. They screamed and started running. I turned and looked through the chaos to see the manticore had been disoriented, it swayed trying to get its bearings in the cloud of smoke that now engulfed it. I searched the crowd, looking for Adam in the people scrambling to get away from the escalators but now that I'd gone, he'd stopped bothering with combat on the ground.

He streaked above the crowd his hair blowing in the winds he was manipulating and he made a b line for me a storm spirit on his tail. He gestured towards the escalator then pointed to the top and his intention was clear.

'Get running.'

I sprinted up the escalator, glancing over my shoulder trying to match my speed with his.

"Jump!" he shouted and I hopped up onto the hand rail, extended my free hand, and launched into the air.

I felt his hand grip mine and then his arms wrapped around me.

"Hold on!" he shouted over the wind that was rushing in my ears and tearing at my hair.

Our speed increased as we shot through the air. Part of me wondered what the mortals beneath us were seeing, maybe two zip lining circus performance thanks to the mist, but most of my attention was devoted to clinging on to Adam for dear life.

We burst recklessly into the above ground part of the station and nearly collided with a banner advertising summer metro rates. He swore as we crashed to the ground and landed hard.

"Ow." I muttered rubbing my head that had collided with a bench but Adam was already on his feet.

"Alright." He said furiously. "I've had just about enough of you."

He threw his sword like a tomahawk where it collided with the storm spirit that had been trailing him. It's point hit the spirit between it's eyes and it erupted into gold dust.

"Finally." Adam said shaking his head and reaching down to help me up. "You ok?"

"Yeah." I said wincing as I felt the lump that was now rapidly growing on the back of my skull, but grabbing his hand and letting him pull me up.

"C'mon." he said, then picked up his weapon, and dragged me towards an information kiosk where several rows of pamphlets about DC were stacked in messy columns.

I expected him to let go as we walked but he didn't. My heart skipped a beat as we stopped next to the kiosk and he still hadn't released my hand.

"This is the building we're looking for." He said pulling out one of the pamphlets in the top row and showing me the cover.

It read. 'History in Finance, D.C. tour edition.' And there was a picture of a marble building with columns set by glass doors. Across the top was written 'The National Bank of Washington'.

"Alright." I said taking the pamphlet with my free hand and studying the building critically. "So how are we supposed to get in?"

"Isn't that your area of expertise?" he asked raising an eyebrow and looking down at me with a smirk. "I mean, that's why you're on this mission isn't it?"

I threw him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, but I figured if there was a legal option we should take it. You know, to keep you from getting cranky."

He opened his mouth ready to retort but froze when a voice asked.

"Adam?" in disbelief.

We turned to see a thin, short girl with who looked to be about fifteen, with messy blonde hair streaked with black and red highlights, and dark blue eyes. She wore black ripped jeans and a dark shirt that said 'Do not resuscitate' written in aggressive red letters.

"Do you know her?" I asked looking up at Adam but he didn't seem to hear me. He was too busy staring at the girl, regarding her warily.

"Hey Daisy."

She scowled.

"Don't call me that." She said irritated.

"It's your name."

"Do I look like a flower to you?" she said looking even more annoyed and narrowing her eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be at camp."

"Something came up."

"Apparently." She said her eyes roaming over his ripped clothes and landed on me with a calculated interest. Her eyes darted to his hand in mine and she smiled, like a cat who'd cornered her prey. "Who's this? What happened to the Barbie you were dating?"

"That's not your business."

"Fine don't tell me." She said shrugging. "But I'm going to find out anyways. Nadine will want to know."

"Don't call her that." He snapped. "It's disrespectful."

"I'm not going to call that woman Mom." She said darkly.

"Adam?" I asked frowning and looking between the two. "What's going on? Who is this?"

At this she laughed, but it was bitter.

"You didn't tell your girlfriend about me?" she asked. "Why am I not surprised?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Adam said heatedly and suddenly, his hand was no longer in mine.

"Whatever." The girls said unconcerned. "But you'd better come with me. If you're here Nadine will expect you to see her."

"We can't." I said frowning. "We've got something we've got to do."

"Of course you do sweetheart." She said giving me a sarcastic smile then looked at Adam. "Well? You coming? The car leaves in five minutes."

She gave him a significant look, then turned and started walking towards the street.

"C'mon." Adam said frowning after the girl but following her.

"But-" I started looking over my shoulder back at my building.

"We need a place to plan don't we?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "Or would you rather sleep in the station?"

"But where are we going?" I asked jogging after him. "Adam, who is that girl?"

He looked uncomfortable. He seemed to be avoiding my eye as he put his hands in his pockets and stared after the her.

"We're going to my house." He said his expression hard to read, but I could tell he wasn't happy about it. "Daisy's my sister."


	28. Chapter 28

Thank you for all the favorites/follows/reviews! Sorry for the binge uploading. Wanted to get this out as quickly as possible because finals are almost upon me and I hope to finish uploading before that! Hope you enjoy!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

His sister?

Adam had never mentioned he'd had a sister before.

As we walked, I stared at Daisy's retreating figure occasionally glancing at Adam who seemed to have adopted a 'wall of silence' policy. She looked nothing him. Adam was tall and toned and looked like a movie star where as she was tiny and looked like she could be found headlining a punk concert or in a mug shot for aggravated assault, but that didn't mean she wasn't pretty.

Still, as different as they were in appearance, there was something similar about them. She walked with the same sort of casual confidence that Adam always displayed. Even if he looked irritated right now, he still gave off the sense that nothing would rattle him. It was the same sort of untouchable aura that Daisy was giving off now. I had to admit that part of me was a little jealous. It wasn't that I wasn't a confident person, my self esteem was fine. But there were people who were confident, and then there were people who projected confidence, that made others believe in them. It was something I'd always admired about Adam and as I glanced at Daisy, I figured it must be hereditary.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting when we reached the street, judging by Daisy's appearance maybe a battered van with some sort of dragon or Viking spray painted on the side, but it certainly wasn't what I found. At the curb was an expensive looking executive car, with a driver waiting by the passenger side door.

"Mr. Kall." He said looking a bit taken aback when he spotted Adam. He took in his monster torn clothes and his mouth fell open slightly.

"Hello Sampson." Adam said in a resigned voice while I shot him a furtive look.

"I thought you were at camp." He said obviously deciding not to question what had happened to Adam to make him look as if he'd taken issue with a particularly angry pair of scissors.

"So did I." Daisy said with a smirk. "But apparently my brother has decided to come home early with a friend."

It became apparent that up until this point Sampson hadn't noticed me. Even more apparent however, was that when his eyes finally landed on me, I hadn't made a good impression.

I glanced at my reflection in the car window and almost winced. My clothes were ripped, covered in monster sludge, and my hair was falling out of it's braid. Ash covered my face along with dried blood from a cut on my temple. I looked even worse than Adam.

"I see." He said hesitantly, obviously wondering if letting me in the car would get him fired.

He glanced uncertainly at Adam who seemed to miss all this and had already walked into the street to the other side of the car. He opened the door and slid into the back and Sampson looked at me, the distrust evident in his eyes.

"Oh this will be fun." Daisy with a sarcastic delight. She let Sampson open the passenger side door for her then gave me one last cynical smile before sliding into the car.

Very aware of the tension, I awkwardly slid into the back seat next to Adam trying not to dirty the leather.

Adam, it seemed, didn't have the same concern. He was sprawled in the seat next to mine, sitting low, and glaring out the window. He seemed totally uninterested in the many dials and control settings around the interior of the car which was taking all my restraint not to mess with. He couldn't even be bothered to look at the television screen in the back of the driver seat.

"Where would you like to go?" Sampson asked after he'd sat into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition.

"Take us home." Daisy said cheerfully. She seemed to be rather enjoying the entire awkward scene. "Oh and brother, you'll want to change before Nadine and Robert see you. If they see you in those clothes they'll freak."

I resisted the urge to pointed out her clothes were just as ripped as ours and looked at Adam. He seemed determined to keep his mouth shut and continued his gaze out the window.

"If you're lucky, they might not be back yet." Daisy continued.

"Where are they?" he asked finally breaking his silence and looking at his sister. His tone was normal, but I could see the tension in his shoulders and his jaw was set.

"Some benefit for the inner city schools." She said turning around in her seat and giving him a look as if this was supposed to be funny. He ignored this and she took a different approach. "Is that where you picked her up?"

"Shut up Daisy." He quietly and she smiled.

"So who _are_ you anyways." She asked unclicking her seatbelt to turn further and look at me.

"Ms. Cunningham, I must insist you fasten your safety belt." Sampson said sounding tired, but she ignored him and continued to look at me expectantly.

"Thea." I said deciding to keep my answers as short as possible. I had no idea how much this girl knew about Adam's life outside the mortal world.

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something to me." She said raising an eyebrow.

"She's a friend from camp." Adam said in a clipped voice. "Leave it at that."

Her eyes snapped back to Adam, but he was still looking out the window as we passed various government buildings.

"So you're from the mystery camp too." She said eyeing me with a new found interest. "Well I hope you're smarter than the last girl he brought home." She said with a grin. "She wasn't too bright." She glanced at Adam again before saying. "She was prettier than you though. Like by a lot."

Finally, Adam snapped.

"Daisy, what the fu-"

"Might I remind you you are in the presence of two ladies Mr. Kall." Sampson said cutting him off and after an irritated noise, Adam slumped back into his seat but remained silent.

'Ladies?' I thought wryly, glancing down at my filthy clothes and at Daisy's multi colored hair. 'That was a generous term for it.'

The ride passed in a tense silence until we reached the city limits were the buildings changed from run down town houses to lavishly designed Greek Revival style homes. I looked at them with interest but was surprised as we slowed and came to a stop outside the biggest and nicest house on the block.

I stepped out of the car and stared. A brick pathway ran through an impeccably manicured lawn with willows and cherry blossom trees, all in front of a massive white house with tall Greek columns which were illuminated by lights imbedded in the stone patio.

"Adam. I think your friend broke." Daisy said glancing at me amused then made her way towards the house.

"Shall I inform the staff you've arrived for dinner?" Sampson asked Adam as I continued to stare. "Or would you and your companion prefer to ah, make your selves more presentable?"

"Go ahead and tell them." He said quietly. "We can change fast."

Sampson glanced at me warily, then at Adam still looking uncertain but didn't question him.

"Alright." he said and followed Daisy into the house.

A moment passed between Adam and I where neither of us spoke, but eventually he broke the silence.

"Say something Thea." He said sounding resigned.

"This is your house?" I asked in disbelief.

He nodded looking at me carefully, as if I were a bomb that was about to explode.

"You're loaded."

It wasn't a question, more like a statement. But the way he reacted was as if I'd accused him of something

"Yeah." He muttered rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Like loaded loaded." I said looking at him, and I noticed he was looking down at me trying to gauge my reaction. "Like summer home in the country with horses loaded."

"More like Homes." He said avoiding my gaze again. "In other countries."

I stared at him.

"My Mom and Step-Dad are corporate lawyers." He said quietly. "They're good at their jobs."

"I guess I can see what attracted your father." I said gesturing to the columns.

"Actually they met when she was still in law school." Adam said shrugging. "Long before she had any money and as Daisy puts it 'lost her soul'."

"What's your sister's deal?"

"How long have you got?" he asked darkly. "C'mon."

He gestured for me to follow him up the walk way but I hesitated.

"What's wrong?" he asked noticing I hadn't moved.

"You're really inviting me, the kleptomaniac daughter of Hermes into your mansion?" I asked frowning. I found that hard to believe.

"Are you going to steal anything?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"No." I said honestly.

"Then what's the problem?"

"You believe me?" I asked in surprise.

"Thea, unless you want to sleep on the lawn get in the house." He said rolling his eyes.

"Well it is a nice lawn." I said grinning and jogging to catch up to him.

He let out a short laugh and I followed him up the steps.

The entrance of the house was just as nice of the exterior. The floors were made of marble and had two curved mahogany staircases that lead up to the second floor. A large crystal chandelier sparkled above a bronze statue of a woman, blind folded, in a toga, holding up a set of scales in one hand and a sword in another.

"Justice." Adam explained when he caught me looking at it.

Someone made an irritated noise and we turned to see Daisy leaning on the door frame of a lavishly furnished study.

"Our parents stopped caring about justice along time ago." She said darkly.

"Don't start." Adam sighed as I asked. "What do you mean?"

"The money used to buy that statue came from big corporations trying to pollute our environments and squeeze every drop of money out of middle class America. But hey, it looks nice right?" she finished sarcastically.

She made her way to the stairs, but stopped half way up as if she'd just remembered something.

"Oh yeah. Nadine just called me. She and Robert will be home in an hour. They know you're here and expect us all to have dinner together. So if I were you I'd shower and start thinking up excuses for her." She pointed at me. "Because she didn't sound happy."

Daisy however, looked extremely amused. She gave Adam one last smile, winked at me, and continued heading up the stairs.

"So." Adam said awkwardly as she turned into a hallway upstairs. "That's Daisy."

"Your sister seems sweet." I said and he let out terse laugh.

"Yeah." He said he said shortly. "As you can see she's got problem's with our parents' profession."

"Is she like an environmentalist or something?"

"Not really." He said with a sigh and frowning, looking up at the place where she'd vanished. "I think she just likes reasons to be mad at them."

"She seems to like it when you're upset." I observed.

"Yeah I don't know why that is." He muttered. "But she is right about something. We've got to get changed before my parents get home."

"Why?" I asked frowning.

"They can be a bit particular." He said obviously unwilling to commit to more of an answer than this.

"Doesn't your mom know what you get up to at camp?"

"Yeah, but I don't think she'd find monster attacks as an acceptable excuse for looking like this," he said gesturing at our destroyed clothes. "At dinner."

"Alright." I said wondering why dinner seemed to be so important.

He motioned for me to follow him up the stairs and he turned left as Daisy had as we reached the second landing.

"You can use the guest bathroom." He said opening a door on the right of the hall. "Sorry it's a bit small."

"Small?" I asked looking at him incredulously. "This is bigger than the room I had when I lived with my Mom."

Like the entrance of the house, the floor and counter tops were made of marble and a massive mirror ran the length of the wall. In the corner was a clawfoot tub that rested next to a glass standing shower that had so many nozzles, I couldn't imagine what half of them were for.

"Oh." He said a little awkwardly. "Well, I'll get you some towels."

He stepped out into the hall and I heard him walk a few steps before a door creaked open.

I dropped my bag on the counter, looked in the mirror, and took in my appearance. I really did look a mess.

Adam stepped back into the bathroom laden with fluffy white towels just as I was undoing the last of my braid.

"What?" I asked when he grinned.

"Nothing." He said but his smile grew. "It's just, you look like crap."

"Oh because you're so much better right now." I said gesturing to his reflection.

"I didn't mean it a bad way." He said defensively.

"How is saying someone looks like crap not bad?" I asked incredulously, crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at at him.

"I dunno," he said looking a little confused himself. "But I kind of like it, you know?"

"No." I said honestly. "I thought guys were supposed to like air brushed super models."

"Maybe, but that's not very real." He said frowning and I knew he too was thinking about Crystal. "This though." He said gesturing towards my general dishevelment. "Is real. Like you did something worth while."

"If you say so." I said amused.

"Well, I'm going to get cleaned up." He said. "Hot water is the second tap from the top on the right, cold is on the left. Don't adjust the setting of the nozzles because that system is having pressure problems and it'll alternate between barely dripping and trying to smash you through the glass. And if you want to listen to the radio you can switch the PA system in here to do that with this panel." He said gesturing to a black square on the wall that had touch screen.

"What?" I asked completely confused.

"Yeah sorry that was a lot." He said setting the towels on the counter and walking over to the shower. "This is hot," he said turning one of the many handles and reaching for another. "This is cold. Just avoiding messing with anything else."

"Can do." I said with a nod.

"I'll see you later then." He said walking towards the door.

He hesitated before he stepped in the hall and looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to say something.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said shaking his head, then stepping into the hall and shutting the door behind him.

Wondering what that was about, I locked the door, pulled off my shredded excuse for clothes and hopped into the shower.

It took me several minutes of handle twiddling to get the right temperature, in the mean time I was amazed at the amount of dirt and grime coming off of me. Several small bottles of hair products and soaps lined the shelf that had been built into the shower wall. After about ten minutes, I stepped out of the shower smelling so much like citrus that I thought I now knew what it felt like to be a lemon.

I dried and changed into a spare set of clothes from my bag, then checked my reflection in the mirror. The cut on my temple was starting to bruise, but over all I looked a million times better. Leaving my hair down to dry, I hung up the towels, repacked my bag but hesitated when I reached the door.

What if Adam hadn't finished? Where was I supposed to wait?

Figuring I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever, I opened the door and stepped into the hall. Luck was on my side. Adam was a little way down the hall leaning on the banister and looking down to the first floor apparently lost in thought. Daisy was next to him as well and it took me a few seconds to realized they'd both changed. She was wearing a white blazer, over a nice blouse and what looked like an immaculate set of designer jeans, her hair pulled back into a bun that all but hid her highlights, while he was wearing a dark blue sweater over a collared shirt, and gray slacks.

"Hey." I said a little awkwardly and feeling completely underdressed.

Daisy took one look at my shorts and T shirt, and covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a laugh. She failed.

"Oh this is going to be so bad." She muttered through her fingers in a kind of horrified excitement. As if she were watching a train wreck but couldn't force herself to look away.

"Shut up Daisy." Adam snapped straightening up.

"Why do you look like you're about to go on a date?" I asked ignoring Daisy and looking at Adam. "What? Are we supposed to dress up?"

"It's no big deal." Adam said shaking his head while Daisy turned to look at him as if he'd just suggested I wear a chicken suit.

"You're really going to introduce her to Nadine wearing that?" she said gesturing to me. "That's just cruel."

"This is all I have." I said frowning. I hadn't even packed my good hoodie for fear of a monster destroying it.

"Adam." She said indignantly as if he needed to see sense. "As much as I'd love for this evening to crash and burn, you can't let her go down like that."

"What does it matter?" he asked looking at her, but she raised her eyebrow and he seemed to rethink his statement.

"Ok you've got a point." He said grudgingly. "Thea come with me." He said gesturing for me to follow him down the hall.

"Oh Adam." Daisy said watching as we walked away, still sounding as if she didn't know if she should be laughing or concerned. "You are so screwed."

"What's going on?" I asked as we passed the guest bathroom. "I thought we were supposed to be planning on how to get into Eris's vault."

"We will." He assured me. "But we need somewhere to stay while we plan right?"

"I guess."

"Well, if we're going to stay here, you have to meet my parents. So that's going to have to come first."

"Well if you knew we were going to be in DC why didn't you tell them we were coming?" I asked.

He hesitated.

"I was hoping we could avoid staying here."

"Why?"

Again he hesitated.

"Just come to dinner." He said shaking his head and opening a door on his left as we reached the far end of the hall. "Then see if you'll be asking that."

I followed him into the room but froze the second I stepped inside. Everything in it was either covered in lace, gold, or was violently pink.

"You're too tall to borrow some of Daisy's clothes." He said walking over to a door and opening a massive walk in closet. "You can borrow something of Crystals."

I crossed the room in trepidation.

"Crystal's?" I asked frowning.

"Yeah, this is where she would stay when she visited me over the school year."

"Your parents bought her all this?" I asked looking at the canopy bed and the ornate make up mirror that lit up behind the mahogany desk.

He nodded.

"Why?"

"They approved of her." He said shortly.

"They did?" I asked in disbelief. "You mean they actually liked-"

"I never said anything about liking her." He said slightly bitterly. "But she was beautiful and her father is extremely wealthy. As my mother put it 'A girl like Crystal is a good investment for your future.'"

"Investment?" I asked laughing. "You're eighteen."

"To her that's hardly an excuse."

"Sounds like she wanted you two to get married." I said with a grin.

He didn't answer and I felt my smile fade.

"Did she?"

"Let's just find you something to wear." He said quietly.

I followed him into the walk in closet looking among the expensive fabrics for something that looked tolerable.

"Crystal really likes pink." I said frowning picking up a dress.

"Yeah." He said looking a little warily around the closet.

"Everything in here looks like it belongs on a runway or a princess movie." I said after several minutes of searching through taffeta and frills and finding nothing I liked. "Do I really have to wear this stuff?"

"No." he said evenly.

It was the first time he'd spoken for a while and I glanced at him uncertainly.

"You sure?"

He seemed to be in a funny mood. Though he hadn't said anything, his eyes never left me which I was finding really distracting.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." He said suddenly sounding tired.

"Daisy doesn't seem to agree." I said continuing to look through a rack of dresses. "She seems to think dinner's going to be the reformation of Kronos."

"She can be a bit dramatic."

"But why is she so concerned?" I asked turning to look at him again.

He seemed to weigh his words carefully before he spoke.

"My parents like things to be very orthodox." He said giving me an appraising look. "And you are quite blatantly not that."

"Is that some round about way of calling me weird?"

"Not weird." He said frowning. "Well, maybe a little weird. But more like unconventional. Daisy sees it. She knows my parents will too."

"And she thinks that won't go well?"

"Pretty much."

"How can she think that?" I asked frowning. "Isn't she little miss rebellious spirit?"

"When they're away." He said shrugging. "But you saw her just now."

"Is that why your parents like Crystal so much?" I asked frowning. "She was conventional?"

"Yeah." He said shortly. "Every time we broke up I was highly encouraged to pursue the relationship again."

"That sounds awful." I said and he shrugged.

Another pause.

"I really don't want to wear any of this stuff." I said quietly.

"Then don't." he said simply.

"You're not worried about what your parents are going to think?"

"I'm starting to realize I don't really care." He said giving me a thoughtful look.

"What if they don't like me?"

"Then that's their problem."

He was closer than I realized, close enough to see his hair was slightly darker than usual, still damp from his shower and there was something different about the way he was looking at me.

"This was a stupid idea." He said shaking his head looking around the closet with distaste. "Just wear whatever you're comfortable with. C'mon."

He walked out of the closet and I followed uncertain what had caused him to change his mind, but grateful nonetheless.

"Decided not to change after all?" Daisy asked we rejoined her at the top of the stairs looking at me as if she were trying to decide if she thought I was stupid or brave. "Well, it's your funeral." She glanced at Adam. "We should head down. They'll be home soon."

But just as she'd said this, the front door opened and in walked a man in a suit who I could only assume was Adam's step father Robert. He was average height with neat dark brown hair that looked as if it had been freshly cut this very day.

He was followed by a woman in a dark blazer very much like Daisy's over a stylish white dress that looked simple, but probably cost more than some people's rent. Her shoulder length hair was the exact same shade of blonde as Daisy's, and like both of her children, she had the same dark blue eyes.

The man muttered something about going to his study, but she didn't respond. She'd seemed to feel our eyes on her because she looked up and instantly I saw from whom Adam and Daisy had inherited their confidence.

"Adam." She said smiling in such a way that reminded me of her daughter. "When Daisy told me you were home, I almost didn't believe her."

Her eyes went from Adam to Daisy, then landed on me. Her smile never faded but something flashed behind her eyes when she looked at me and I repressed a shudder. Before I could figure out what it was however, it was gone.

"You must be Thea."


	29. Chapter 29

Apov

Dinner was tense.

My parents talked about a case they were working on together for a while while Daisy's eyes kept moving between me, my mother, and Thea who looked extraordinarily out of place in her orange camp shirt.

No one but my parents talked, though I could sense Daisy was trying to catch my eye. I ignored her, waiting, knowing exactly what my mother was trying to do. She was trying to make me nervous, she did this every time she wanted the upper hand in a situation but I refused to let it work.

I distracted myself by wondering what Thea was thinking about. Her fingers were twitching and I could tell she was bored. While I was used to either this or eating alone, meals with her family at camp almost always escalated into some form of chaos. I was pretty sure ninety percent of the food fights that had started at camp were caused by her and her siblings.

She'd taken to staring around the room, no doubt going through scenarios of various thefts she could get away with. Her eyes met mine and she gave me a guilty smile.

I raised an eyebrow and she glanced to make sure no one was looking, then lifted her hand over the edge of the table and in it was Daisy's watch, who she was sitting next to.

She shrugged and made a face that clearly said, 'couldn't help myself.'

I couldn't help myself either. I grinned.

Finally, after the dishes had been cleared, the moment arrived.

Clearing her throat, my mother turned to look at me.

"So Adam." She said pressing her finger tips together and we all looked at her. "Shall we address the elephant in the room? Why are you home?"

Both Daisy and Thea looked at me, Daisy looking for answers, Thea obviously wondering what I was going to say.

"Thea's fathers visited." I said deciding to stick as close to the truth as possible without giving Daisy or Robert too much information. "He requested the assistance of the camp and Chiron agreed to send Thea and I."

In the corner of my eye I could see Daisy trying to string together this vague information while Robert had pulled out his phone and started to answer emails. He'd long sense accepted he was never going to get the full story about my life at camp or about my father. Part of me wondered if that was one of the reasons my mother had chosen Robert out of all the men who'd wanted to marry her.

"I see." She said lightly but she frowned and turned to look at Thea. "And what cabin do you live in?"

Daisy nudged Thea who'd been distracted, looking out the window.

"What?" she asked and realized everyone was looking at her. "Oh. Sorry?"

"I asked what cabin you live in." My mother said and while her tone was level, her eyes flashed with annoyance. She hated repeating herself.

"Eleven." Thea said obviously wondering why she was asking but I knew why. She wanted to know who Thea's father was without making it obvious to Daisy.

"I see." She said again her tone suggesting disapproval.

"I don't see why that matters Mom." I said irritated.

"I think it matters quite a lot." She said her eyes narrowing with warning at me. "As your mother I think I have the right to know about the girl you've brought into our home and are traveling with."

"It has nothing to-" I started but Thea cut me off.

"It's alright." She said with a slightly bitter smile. Thea been dealing with prejudice because of her father all her life, and I could see that it was happening once again. "Ask anything you like." She continued while she'd done a better job controlling her voice than my mother had, I could see defiance in her eyes. "I'm an open book."

Daisy's eyes had gone wide while my mother gave Thea a cool, calculating look. No one talked to her like Thea just did and I could tell she was trying to decide if she thought Thea had an attitude or was just direct.

Being honest, it was probably both.

"How did you meet my son?"

"If I remember correctly," she said thoughtfully. "He caught me trying to steal his wallet and I pulled a knife on him."

This statement was met with complete silence. Daisy's mouth had fallen open slightly, and even Robert had looked up from his phone to look at Thea who was smiling sweetly at my mother, who's eyes had narrowed. She'd obviously realized Thea wasn't the type of person who would accept being pushed around.

"Is that true?" Daisy asked apparently unable to contain herself and she looked at me.

"Yeah actually." I said thinking back to my first day of camp.

I'd been told to put my stuff in the Hermes cabin while I was waiting to be claimed and I'd come back from Chiron's office to see Thea quite obviously going through my book bag. I'd shouted and grabbed her which had been a mistake. The next thing I knew I'd been thrown against the wall with a blade at my throat.

"Next question." Thea said still beaming at my mother.

"I think I've heard enough." She said stiffly. "Daisy, please escort our guest upstairs."

"But-" Daisy protested obviously wanting more information.

"Now." My mother said coldly.

"Fine." She muttered. "C'mon Thea."

"If you'll excuse us Robert," my mother said turning to my step father. "But I'd like to have a chat with my son alone."

"Alright." He said giving her a wary look.

He glanced at me before pushing out his chair and following Daisy and Thea out of the room.

She waited a few seconds until we could no longer hear foot steps out in the hall before she turned on me.

"What were you thinking Adam?" she asked angrily. "Bringing that girl here. If Robert or your sister finds out about you-"

"It wasn't my decision." I said indignantly. "I told you, we're on a mission. We just ran into Daisy."

"Why is she even with you?" she asked suspiciously. "Chiron informed me that you'd requested going on missions alone."

"I need her help."

"What on earth could the daughter of a thief do to help you?" she asked suspiciously.

"She has a name." I said irritated.

"Thea." She said glaring at the door as if she could see through it and it would reach her. "What does Crystal think of your new friend?"

"I broke up with Crystal." I said harshly.

This caught her attention. She looked at me.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like her." I said flatly. "She's a terrible person."

"We've discussed this Adam." She said sounding tired.

"No, you've discussed it." I said angrily. "You told me what I should do. You never asked what I wanted."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked and while I knew she wasn't saying this to be spiteful, my anger increased.

She seemed to realize this because she continued in a tone of forced patience.

"Crystal is a valuable asset to your future." She explained. "Her father is extremely well connected."

"So?"

"So," she said irritated. "I know you're convinced you're going to end up like the rest of your siblings lost in the turmoil of your father's world, but I happen to expect better from my son." She gave me a critical look, but after a moment her eyes softened. "I want a better life for you than they had." But her expression hardened again. "But that means you need to prepare for a life outside of camp and associating with someone like her..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked aggressively.

"You know exactly what I mean." She said pointedly. "What would your father think? Do you think he'd be proud knowing that you-"

"That I what?" I said feeling my voice rise with my temper.

"That you've thrown your lot in with someone like her." She said sounding just as angry.

I stood, anger pulsing through me.

"Sit down." She said coldly.

"No!" I said furiously. I wasn't exactly sure when I'd started shouting, but I couldn't stop. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you insult someone you know nothing about!"

"Know nothing about?" she asked bitterly. "I had her checked Adam."

"Of course you did." I spat. No doubt one of her many friends at city hall had done her a favor and looked at Thea's records while she was on the way home.

"She's been expelled from six schools, three of them reform schools. Multiple reports of fights and accusations of theft. She stole a school bus!"

"The same is true of half the demigods at camp!" I said in exasperation.

"Lower your voice." She said quietly glancing at the ceiling obviously concerned Daisy or Robert would hear.

"Bad things happen to us." I said my body shaking with the effort of keeping my temper contained. "Monsters find us at school, attack us and get us into trouble. That's not her fault."

"That girl _is_ trouble." She said her eyes narrowing. "You can see it in her eyes."

Thunder cracked above the house sounding like a bullet. It rattled the windows and a picture fell from the wall the glass shattering.

"Adam." My mother snapped. "Control yourself."

I kicked a chair in frustration, but took a deep breath and stopped pacing.

"Do you see what I mean?" she asked. "You've been home less two hours and already she's turned you against me and caused you to lose your temper. Everywhere that girl goes she will cause disruption. It's in her nature."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Thea didn't do anything." I said incredulously. "You are the reason I'm angry!"

"Do you honestly think you'd be talking to me like this if it were not for her?" she asked viciously. "You never lost control of your emotions like this when-"

"What? When I was dating Crystal?" I asked shouting again. "Maybe that's because she was manipulating them for years! Which I'm sure you figured out. Is that why you approved of her so much?" I asked bitterly. "All that time she kept me out of my own head I never questioned you."

"She kept focused." She said flatly.

"She kept me controlled!" I snapped.

"She kept you from distractions like Thea."

"Thea was the only one who get Crystal out of my head!" I said furiously running my hands through my hair. "For years I thought I knew who I was, what I wanted. And then she would come along." I screwed up my face, thinking of how every time I saw her, I would get so confused. "She'd make me so uncertain. She'd make me question everything I thought I wanted, who I wanted to be."

"You know who you are." She said stiffly.

"No, you know what you want me to be." I said glaring at her. "My whole life you've told me who to be, who I should associate with, what I should do. You've never asked me once what I've wanted."

"I'm your mother," she said furiously her voice starting to rise now. "You think I don't know what's best for you!"

"If you know what's best for me why am I not happy!" I shouted and her expression changed. It went from anger to, well, I didn't know what it had changed to but it seemed as if something had broken between us.

"You know why I didn't tell you why I was home?" I asked her bitterly. "It was because I knew you'd react like this the second you met Thea. I knew you wouldn't like her, but I didn't care about your disapproval. I wanted to keep her from you."

"Adam." She said softly but I shook my head.

"Thea makes me happy." I said realizing I'd said it aloud for the first time. "And thanks to Crystal, who you loved so much, I'm not sure after this mission I'm ever going to see her again. So thank you for your concern about my future, but I really don't want anymore of your help."

She didn't seem to know what to say and I turned my back to her.

"We'll leave for the mission tomorrow." I said quietly reaching for the door. "And then, once it's complete, I'll head back to camp."

I could feel her eyes on me as I walked out of the room but I didn't turn back. I didn't want to hear anything she had to say.


	30. Chapter 30

Tpov

Daisy wasn't happy about being dismissed from the dining room.

She scowled all the way upstairs and showed me to the guest room which was massive but like Adam, she seemed quite unimpressed with the luxury of her home. Like Crystal's room, it had an expensive looking desk as well as a canopy bed, but instead of pink the room was set with a neutral blue and cream color that reminded me of the ocean and shells.

"Well, you can stay here for now I guess." She said leaning against the frame of the door as I rested my bag on the desk. She glanced at it and frowned.

"You like Arcadian Apocalypse?" she asked spotting the patch on my bag.

"Yeah." I said. "You know about them?"

"Do I know about them?" she asked with a smirk. "What have I been living under a rock the past three years? I've seen them in concert like three times."

"I thought you might be like Adam." I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen his music. I don't think he knows anything from this century."

"He's still only listens to that stuff?" she asked giving me her first genuine smile of the night. "He's such a nerd."

"Yeah. We went to a concert together but I don't think he really enjoyed it. Well, except maybe the crowd surfing."

"You got him to crowd surf?" she asked her eyes going wide.

"Well sort of. I kind of had him ambushed."

She laughed.

"Oh I'm sure he was happy about that."

"He got over it." I said shrugging and she considered me for a moment.

"Have you heard their latest album?" she asked curiously.

"What?"

"Arcadian Apocalypse, their new album just dropped. I've got it in my room if you want to listen to it."

"Sure." I said surprised by the invitation but following her out of the room.

I followed her down the hall and into a room that seemed to be a fusion of the Daisy we'd met at the metro station earlier, and the version of herself she presented to her parents. Lining the walls were posters of several bands I recognized, but as well as photos of her horse back in dressage outfitting as well as pictures of her with friends in uniforms for what had to be an extremely expensive private school. She had a case full of trophies of what looked like debate competitions and horse events next to a desk that was over flowing with CDs. An electronic keyboard was next to her bed which had a black bedspread and a guitar lying on it.

She grabbed a remote from her bed side table and pointed it to a media station that was mounted next to the TV on her wall. Music blasted from the speakers and she turned the volume down.

"So who are you anyways?" she asked looking at me with interest. "I know the last girl's father is some sort of famous jewelry designer, and his friend Kyle's mom is a world famous violinist. What is this camp? Some sort of program where rich kids make connections to keep their parents in money and power?"

She'd said it casually, but her expression clearly read 'And if so, how come I wasn't invited?'

"My mom worked for UPS." I said shrugging.

"What, like as the CEO or something?" she asked.

"Nope, she just delivered packages."

"Delivered?" she asked obviously noticing the past tense.

"She died several years ago. It's why I live at camp."

"Oh." She said looking taken a back. "I'm sorry."

I didn't answer. I didn't like to talk about my mother if I could help it.

"Why didn't you go live with other family?" she asked frowning.

"My aunt and I didn't really get along." I said. "She'd stick me in boarding schools, I'd run away. In the end I when I finally made it to camp, we pretty much just both agreed I wouldn't come back."

She considered me for a moment and I could tell she was trying to figure out what to make of me. Apparently I didn't fit the archetype of people from her brother's camp she'd come to expect.

"What about your dad?" she asked eventually. "Adam said he visited camp. Why don't you go with him?"

"He's a busy guy." I said shrugging. "Doesn't have much time for kids."

"Sounds like Adam's dad." She said shrewdly. "I think he's only ever met him a few times. I met him once. He was…" but she frowned apparently unable to find the right words for the King of Olympus.

"Like Adam?" I asked interested.

"No, more like what Adam tries to be for our Mom." She said slowly. "I dunno, I thought he was a bit of a jerk."

I looked up, waiting to hear the crash of thunder and see the bolt of lightning strike her down, but it didn't. Maybe mortals got more leeway than demigods did when it came to insulting the gods. "All I know was that that it stresses Adam out whenever someone brings him up. Even worse than our mom. Like he's never going to live up to what they want."

I noticed that this was the second time she said 'mom' instead of Nadine, but decided not to mention it.

We didn't talk for a bit and the music continued to play in the background.

"You know it was kind of cool how you talked to her during dinner." She said grinning. "Most of our friends, Adam and mine, when they meet our mom they look like they're going to pee their pants. She's got that effect on people but you, I dunno. It was kind of nice seeing someone who wasn't intimidated by her." She frowned. "No one's ever stood up to her like that before."

"Adam said you knew she wouldn't like me because I'm unconventional."

"Yeah, well I was right wasn't I?" she asked. "But maybe that's why Adam likes you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Eh he's always been a bit weird." She said frowning as if she wasn't quite sure how to put it. "He was always different, even when we were kids he liked things you wouldn't quite expect him too. When the boys at school were throwing rocks at each other in recess, he was happy to be on his own reading non fiction books or old legends. I always thought it was weird but no one ever bothered him about it because, well, look at him. Girls always wanted to date him and no one would dare try and bully him. He could have stepped on them, but even at school." She frowned. "It's not that he had trouble fitting it. It's like he just didn't want to. All the things that a person like Adam you'd expect him to want to do, he just had no interest in. He was good at sports, but didn't want to join the teams. Popular girls always wanted to date him but he really didn't seem interested in them. He was friends with the most popular kids in school, but didn't seem to enjoy spending time with them. A lot of the time he just was on his own. I dunno, it was like he was removed. He's always been bit of an introvert and when people assumed he'd be popular, it's like he just wasn't bothered enough to correct them."

She paused for a moment as if to collect her thoughts.

"Then he started to going to camp with you guys, but it was like he had a total personality change. I mean, he'd always been a bit straight laced, but I dunno, he used to loosen up a little when it was just him and me. But after he came back, while he'd made friends, he was always just so super serious. We always used to joke around as kids, go around the city together and try to sneak away from our nanny and go do something fun rather than the educational activities our parents planned out for us, but suddenly it was like he didn't want to hang out anymore. I dunno, it's like he become sort of robot version of Adam. He'd always been a bit stiff, but he'd gone from stiff to completely rigid. He didn't laugh anymore and he rarely smile. It was like he had no emotions at all."

"Is that why you you're always trying to piss him off?" I asked and suddenly she looked angry.

"My relationship with my brother is none of your business!" she snapped.

"Ok." I said shrugging and she seemed to regret her outburst.

"It's just...We used to be best friends you know?" she asked looking at me, suddenly, she looked much younger. "Our parents were never around, and when they were around they were always putting so much pressure on us, but we always had each other. Then, I dunno, something in him just changed. He started going to that camp and he just completely shut me out. He didn't want to talk anymore. He would make excuses not to go on our outings. It was like he was a completely different person."

I hesitated not entirely certain what to say. Of course I knew why this had happened. Adam didn't like lying. I'd known Adam for a very long time and I knew that he would not have wanted to lie to his little sister about who he really was or what happened while he was at camp. As for not wanting to be with her in public, well that was pretty easy to understand. Monsters.

"Then he brought that stupid Crystal girl home and of course our parents just fawned over her." she said moodily. "She absolutely hated me. I didn't get it. She was so mean, but it was like she had them all wrapped around her finger, especially Adam. I couldn't believe he'd even want to be around someone like that, but he did anything she wanted. It was like he wasn't even him. I guess that's why I didn't like you much at first." She said glancing at me. "I thought you were going to be the same."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she hated me too. But I'm nothing like Crystal."

"Yeah well I know that now." She said rolling her eyes.

Suddenly the we heard shouts from downstairs.

"What do you think they're arguing about?" I asked frowning.

"You." She honestly. "I don't know if you picked up on it Thea, but my mother did not like you."

"Yeah, I figured that out." I said flatly and she smiled. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing." She said shaking her head. "It's just nice hearing him fight for something for once. He spends so much time trying to keeping other people happy and doing what he's supposed to that I think he lost himself, but, you seemed to help him find him again."

Thunder cracked above us and she looked out at the cloudless evening confused, but I felt my heart skip a beat. Adam was angry. Was he really defending me?

"That was weird." Daisy said frowning.

The shouting below us continued but she seemed to lose interest in the argument.

"So, you pulled a knife on Adam?"

I laughed.

"Yeah."

The next couple of minutes were spent trading stories of her brother and I found that I really did like Daisy. The longer I spent with her, the more I saw that she did look like Adam. In addition to his eyes, she had the same nose and the same smile when it was genuine. We'd gotten back on the topic of bands when the door opened and Adam walked into the room.

"Ever heard of knocking?" she asked irritated and he threw her an utterly confused look.

"Why do I need to knock when you took my friend?" He glanced at me. "We need to plan for tomorrow."

"Right." I said sliding off Daisy's bed which we'd both ended up sitting on. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah." She said looking a bit disappointed. "I'll see you around Thea."

I started walking towards Adam when I remembered something.

"Oh." I said reaching into my pocket and pulling out her watch. "This is yours."

"How did you-" she asked accepting the watch and then glancing at her wrist in shock, but Adam ushered me out of the room before she could finish the question.

"What was that about?" Adam asked looking down at me curiously after he shut Daisy's door and we started walking down the hall.

"What do you mean?"

"You two were talking."

"So?"

"So, she never gets along with any of my friends."

"Really?" I asked with interested.

"Well, I think she had a crush on Kyle when he visited once." He said frowning in recollection as he paused by a door on our right. "But I don't think she's liked anyone else."

He opened the door and I realized it must be his room.

It wasn't like Daisy's but I looked around with interest. Pictures of him in the same sort of uniform were on the wall with people I didn't recognize but knew must be his mortal friends. There were a few of camp, and with his family at various places around the country and the world, but for he most part his walls were bare.

There wasn't much to go on decoration wise, he had no posters and his bedspread was just white but like his sister he had a keyboard, and a tall wall of shelves that were stuffed to the breaking point with books.

"You're a reader?" I said with interest.

"Why does that surprise you?" He asked frowning.

"I dunno," I said honestly. "I guess I saw you as more of a brawn than brain type."

"That's a little insulting don't you think?" he asked frowning.

"You told me I looked like crap earlier."

"Alright fair point." he said quietly and I smirked at him. "So," he said obviously wanting to change the subject. "We made it to DC alive. Now what?"

Apov

Thea and I spent the next couple of hours researching as much as we could about the bank and Eris trying to figure out what we we'd up against when we reached the vault, but I wasn't sure we'd made much progress. Talented she maybe, Thea wasn't psychic. She could only guess at the magic that would be in the vault and while I was confident it wouldn't be anything she couldn't handle, her powers of trap detection and lock charming only worked if they were physically present. Plus, we had no idea what kind of tricks the goddess of chaos might have up her sleeves or what monsters she'd employed to keep demigods like us out.

In the end we'd basically reached the same conclusion. We'd just have to deal with whatever was there when we got there.

She decided to go to bed around eleven and while I tried to as well, I found it difficult to fall asleep. Eventually, I gave up and decided to read. I'd just grabbed my copy of 'Ancient Greece, what you didn't know you didn't know' in an attempt to find any helpful nugget of information on Eris I might have missed, when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open." I said sitting up and expecting to see my mother, but I was surprised when Daisy walked into the room.

"Why are you here?" I asked suspiciously.

"You and Nadine really got into it earlier."

"So?" I asked falling back on my bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"So I've never heard you guys fight like that." She said and her tone was hard to place. "I noticed your light was on. I just came to see if you were ok."

This shocked me into sitting back up and looking at her. She was in pajamas now, a band t shirt and a pair of sweatpants that had fishes on them, and her hair was down. I couldn't help but think no matter how hard she tried to change her appearance, she still looked like our mom.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

She shrugged and leaned against my door frame.

"Do I need a reason?" she asked.

"What do you want?" I asked her. She was acting really weird.

"Nothing." She said defensively. "Like I said I was just checking on you. If I knew you were going to be this cranky I wouldn't have bothered."

"That's the Daisy I remember." I muttered.

"I'm trying to be nice Adam." She said sourly. "Don't be an ass."

I didn't respond and she sighed.

"Well you're obviously in a mood so I'm going to go."

I didn't answer and she made an irritated noise. She made to leave, but she paused before she took the final step into the hall, her hand still resting on the door handle.

"She's cool you know." She said in a tone that was much gentler than I was used to hearing from her.

"What?"

"Thea." She said and she wasn't looking at me but out into the hall, as if making eye contact was while saying this was far too embarrassing. "I can see why you like her."

"I don't," I started feeling the color rising to my cheeks but she raised an eyebrow and I found I couldn't finish the sentence.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked and she grinned.

"Yeah." She said amused and she finally looked at me. "To everyone but her. But I guess she's like you in that aspect. She doesn't realize how much people care about her."

Her tone made it sound as if this meant more than she was letting on, but I couldn't quite think what it could be.

"Anyways," she said crossing her arms over her chest and looking back out into the hall, her voice was back to normal now. "I think she's good for you. Not like that other girl. Around her you seem more relaxed. Like you."

"As usual I don't know what you're talking about."

"I see the way you look at her." She said. "Around Crystal, you always seemed I dunno, kind of blank. Thea makes you smile. I saw it at dinner, and I saw you together at the station before you realized I was there. You both looked like shit, but you looked way happier than I've seen you in a long time."

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter." I said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When we get back to camp Thea's leaving."

"Where is she going?"

"It's difficult to explain." I said.

"I thought kids came to your camp from all over the world."

"They do, but she won't be coming back. I probably won't see her again."

"Well that sucks." She said looking concerned.

"Yeah."

A pause went between us.

"Have you told her you wanted her to stay?" she asked.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Have you actually told her you want her to stay?"

"No." I said frowning. "It's her decision."

"Well it sounds like she's made it without knowing all the information. You should tell her."

"I don't want to change her mind just because of me."

"Well why is she leaving?" she asked frowning. "Because she has to?"

"No." I said honestly. "There's just nothing for her at camp anymore. She doesn't have a reason to stay."

"Think she might want one?" she asked cryptically and I started at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean tell her how you feel idiot."

"Why do you care so much?" I asked frowning. This might have been the longest conversation we'd had in years that hadn't ended in a fight.

"What can I say." She said with a sigh and giving me as scrutinizing look. "You might be an idiot but you're still my brother. I know we don't always get along but I still care about you and all that stupid stuff."

"You do?" I asked in shock.

"God you're dumb." She said rolling her eyes. "Of course I care about you. You're my brother, I have to love you."

She shook her head.

"Look I'm you seem alright so I'm gonna go before anymore _feelings_ get shared." She said sarcastically pretending to shudder at the word. "I think it's best if we just pretend tonight never happened and continue repressing things as usual in the family."

"Alright." I said almost grinning.

She stepped into the hall and made as if to shut the door when I spoke.

"You know I love you too, right Daze?"

She hesitated for a second, her expression shocked and she looked at me before she turned it into a scowl.

"Yeah, yeah, save all the emotional crap for your new girlfriend."

"Alright." I said amused.

"Tell her to stay." She said. "Her mind might not be as made up as you think."


	31. Chapter 31

Apov

My parents left before Thea and I set out the next morning, and I spent an unusually pleasant breakfast with her and Daisy who'd gone back to her usual wardrobe. It seemed that she hadn't been lying last night when she'd come to my room, she genuinely did like Thea, and I spent most of the meal listening to them talk about bands I'd never heard of and by the sounds of their names, didn't care to learn.

Eventually, both Thea and I had packed our bags and Sampson took us back into the city.

On the way I thought about what Daisy had said, that I should ask Thea to turn down the hunters. I tried to think of a good way to approach it, but the time never seemed right. Anytime I thought to bring up the subject, the words seemed to get lost on the way out and it didn't help that I was constantly on the look out for things that might try to kill us. Not for the first time I envied mortals and just how easily they got through life. Most guys only had to be nervous about confessing how they felt to a girl they liked. I had to be nervous _and_ hope we didn't die.

"This is it?" she asked twenty minutes after we'd left the car, looking at the bank apparently unimpressed.

The building was small, and made of white marble that was graying with age.

"Yeah." I said looking down at her. "It's a historical bank, what were you expecting?"

"I dunno." She said shrugging and squinting at the building, obviously trying to figure out if there was something hidden behind the Mist that she wasn't seeing. "It's just so plain. For a divine secret vault I expected something more…" She waved her hand in a sensationalistic manner and I laughed.

"What?"

"You know, grandiose, lavish, magnificent, magical, take your pick." She shrugged. "Your house was far more exciting than this."

"Well sorry you're so underwhelmed." I said a little amused as she contemplated the building. "Maybe it's nicer on the inside. But this is where your part starts. Sense anything?"

"No." she said shaking her head but then smiled slyly. "I mean, I sense lots of things, but nothing out of the ordinary for a mortal bank. But it might change when we're inside."

"Think we can just walk in?"

"I don't see any guards."

"Yes, but two teenagers going into a bank on their own? That might raise attention."

"Yeah you're right." She said with a frown. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" I asked but she didn't respond and I turned back to look at the bank.

'She does have a point though' I thought taking in it's utterly mundane appearance. 'There really doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about the building.'

Usually places associated with the Gods might seem plain originally, but once you pealed back the Mist they were pretty significant looking. Not this building though.

My stomach growled as she drifted back next to me and I realized it had been a while since we'd eaten.

"We should probably find somewhere to get food before we go, who knows how long we'll be down there."

She held up a hot dog and I looked down to see she was eating one herself.

"Did you pay for that?" I asked her suspiciously.

"Do you really want to me to answer that?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"No." I admitted while accepting the hot dog and taking a bite.

Wondering how much Thea had managed to steal on this trip without my notice, I glanced at the intersection and saw the cross walk indicator had changed.

"Let's go." I said motioning for Thea to follow me and we crossed the street to the bank.

"I thought you said teenagers would draw attention." She said muttered as we stepped through the doors into the cool interior of the building.

"It can't hurt just to look around." I said shrugging. "If we find something we can plan from there. If someone asks us what we're doing speak Greek and pretend to be a lost tourist."

"Sneaky." She said giving me a look of distinct pride.

"Focus Thea." I said. "You're supposed to be on a mission remember?"

She gave me an exasperated look but didn't retort and instead looked around the bank with interest.

Considering how it looked from the exterior, the building looked a lot bigger than I thought it would on the inside. Its ceilings were high and the floors were so polished it was almost hard to look at them. A long line of teller desks ran on either side of an open floor plan. At the far end of the bank stood the vault. Its door was open, but a wire grate covered the entrance. Thea spotted it and I saw her fingers twitch. I could see her mind working behind her eyes, probably resisting the massive temptation to steal from any one of the wealthy looking people in here. This many locks and so much wealth concentrated in one place was no doubt sending her divine instincts into overdrive.

"How much money is here?" I asked her curiously. I knew she and her siblings were good with money, and that Thea never seemed to have a shortage of cash, but I didn't know to what extent their powers covered this.

She paused for a moment, obviously thinking.

"Not as much as you think." She said frowning. "Most of it is digital, credit cards, trusts and bonds, that sort of thing. That dude's about to lose his shirt investing in his girlfriend's aerobics gym." She said gesturing to a nervous looking man at one of the bank counters.

"That's incredible." I said looking at her in shock.

She shrugged.

"How did you find out you could do that?"

"Economy unit in fifth grade." She said sounding distracted, obviously still looking for entrance to the vault. "We did one of those fake stock exchange projects, I made more fake money than all the classes and the teachers combined."

And my mother thought she wasn't a valuable asset…

We continued walking through the bank, her eyes darting around and I could practically hear how fast her brain was working. It was interesting to see Thea in her element. Her abilities were very different than mine. Where mine were all noise and power, there was a certain subtly to her skills that I couldn't help but admire.

"Think that's it?" I asked nodding towards a gated section where the vault door stood behind.

"No." she said looking at it with a frown. "I don't think it's here."

"What?" I asked indignantly. "No it has to be. Your father said he tracked her to this street. This is the only place it could be."

"I don't know what to tell you Adam." She said shrugging. "But I don't sense any traps. No mystical vaults or locks. Nothing."

"Well then where is it?" I asked.

"I dunno." She said looking up at me. "But it's not here."

"We should probably leave." I muttered noticing several people were giving us suspicious looks. "Whatever we're going to do we can figure it outside."

She nodded and we quickly walked out of the building back into the DC summer heat.

"Well." I said frowning and squinting from the bright sunlight. "Now what? Can you think of anywhere you'd hide a massive… Thea?"

The second her foot had hit the side walk she froze.

"What's up?" I asked but she shook her head, grabbed my wrist, and started dragging me to the nearest entrance into the metro.

"Where are you going?" I asked but again she shook her head, apparently concentrating and looking around.

She didn't seem to notice the people around us, only acknowledging them long enough to make sure they weren't looking as she jumped the turn style that allowed us into the main part of the station.

She was practically running as she went down the stairs, and was running by the time we'd made it to the line.

"Ok what's going on?" I asked jerking out of her grip as she came to stop in the middle of a crowd waiting for the next car.

"It's here." She said quietly her eyes locked on the opposite wall where a maintenance door covered with graffiti blended into the dirty concrete walls.

"What are you talking about?" I asked then noticed she was walking towards the track.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed!" I almost shouted grabbing her just as she was about to step off the ledge of the platform.

Several people turned to look at us in alarm as Thea struggled to throw me off.

"Adam, it's here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look!" she said in exasperation pointing at the door.

Without releasing her, I squinted at the opposite wall to only to see the spray painted words on the door start to shift and rearrange themselves into Greek letters.

'IN LIFE THERE IS BUT ONE CONSTANT. CHAOS.'

"Oh." I said. "Still you can't just jump on the tracks."

"Why not?"

"They're electrified!"

"Just the third rail." She said. "We'll be fine!"

We continued to bicker for another thirty seconds, until a powerfully built woman detached herself from the crowd and glared at me.

"Is this boy bothering you hun?" she asked giving me a nasty stare.

Only then did I realize I was still restraining Thea.

"We're fine." I said letting her go quickly noticing the attention we were attracting. Many people were glaring at me.

"I didn't ask you." She said her eyes narrowing. "Young lady do you need me to call security? HEY!"

Several people started shouting and rushing to the edge of platform. I turned to see that Thea had taken advantage of my distraction and hopped down on to the track.

"Gods Thea!" I shouted furiously running after her.

She'd made it to the door carefully leaning over the third rail as she opened it.

"ARE YOU KIDS INSANE?" Someone yelled.

People were still shouting, several looking as if they were considering coming after us and I knew if we waited much longer someone would.

"Look." Thea said as I reached her. She at the door where a stone staircase was leading down into darkness.

A horn blared and I looked up to see a light traveling down the tunnel.

"Are you sure?" I asked looking at her.

"Yeah." She said nodding not taking her eyes off the descending corridor. "There's something down there. Something big."

"Let's go." I said jumping on to the protective cover of the third rail and pulling her through the door.

It shut behind us with a metallic 'clang' which for some reason, reminded me of a coffin being slammed shut. It was extremely dark and I pulled a flash light out of the side pocket of my book bag.

Just as the light flickered on, there was a sound of metal sliding against metal and we turned to look back at the door.

"Did it just lock itself?" I asked uneasily realizing that there was no handle on the inside of the door.

"Yeah." She said softly in a tone I didn't recognize from her.

I glanced at her to see she'd gone back to staring into the darkness as if she could see through it. It took me a minute to work out her expression, I'd never seen it on her face before, but it was awe. Whatever was down there had left Thea practically speechless. This was a situation that was unprecedented.

"You ok?" I asked her uncertainly.

She nodded.

"Are you sure? Because you're kind of freaking me out."

"Yeah." She said shaking her head. "I've just never seen anything like this. Can't you feel it?"

I hesitated, but after a moment of concentration I realized what she was talking about. I could feel a faint force, like a constant hum of a generator or engine that was vibrating below us which I'd originally attributed to the metro station.

"You could feel that outside?" I asked looking at her in amazement.

"It's better than you think it is." She said. "It's not just a vault."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a maze." She said. "A maze made by Hephaestus himself. That's why it's under the metro. It's all underground."

The gravity of the situation started to sink in. I wasn't good underground.

"So what you're saying is." I started uncomfortably. "Not only are we stealing from a goddess, but we're going up against a maze made by a god, probably with miles of traps and monsters waiting for us, all in a place where my powers are significantly weaker?"

She nodded.

"And the only way out just locked behind us?"

Another nod.

"You can get us out right?" I asked her nervously.

"Yeah." She said glancing at the door in the dim light. "It's not that complex. I mean, if you were with anyone other than one of us you'd be screwed but even Dennis could open that. And he's been at camp for what? Two weeks?"

"Well," I said glancing back at the stairs. "I guess we should get going."

She nodded but didn't speak, and after she grabbed a flash light from her bag we started making our way down the steps.

It wasn't pleasant. Despite our flashlights it was still extremely dark and the air was damp, getting colder as we continued down the steps. I felt Thea shiver next to me.

Her hand brushed mine, and without really meaning to I grabbed it. She didn't acknowledge this, she didn't even look at me but continued staring into the darkness as if by studying it hard enough she could make it vanish and show her what was a head, but just as I thought of letting go, she laced her fingers with mine.

Well, maybe this wouldn't be too bad.


	32. Chapter 32

Ok, last one for the night. Hope you enjoy!

~secrethalfblood

Tpov

Adam and I walked in silence for several minutes until we'd gotten so far underground and the air was so cold, I could see my breath clouding in front of me. I knew he had an idea of what we were up against, but maybe the fact he couldn't sense what I could, or he'd been on so many missions, kept him apparently much calmer than I felt.

The further we descended, the stronger I could feel the magic until it was almost uncomfortable, like a vibration in the air around me trying to rattle my brain. Eventually, the stairs ended and we made it to the doors I'd pictured long before they were visible.

"What is this?" he asked frowning at the three bronze plated doors set into the stone wall at the bottom of the stairs.

"Entrances to the maze."

"I'm guessing two of them are trapped?" He asked.

"They're all trapped." I said not really seeing weapons as I contemplated the doors, but knowing they were there as if a blue print of the maze had been downloaded to my brain but was only revealing itself one trap at a time.

"Then how do we get in?" he asked frowning.

Images of gears, pulleys, and trip wires floated in the back of my mind as I let go of his hand and rested mine on one of the doors.

"Well, that depends." I said looking back at him. "What do you think will make you less dead? Fire, arrows, or giant spikes?"

He raised an eyebrow and I explained.

"You've got roughly eight seconds to get through the hall once the door is unlocked before you set off the trap." I said. "I'm fast enough to do it, but I'm assuming can't fly down here."

"You're right, I can't." he said frowning as he thought about the problem and a moment of silence passed between us.

"Which do you think I should choose?" he asked eventually.

"How much wind power have you got down here?" I asked.

"Not much." He admitted. "And lightening is out unless you know a way to make it strike through the earth. I'm limited to what I can generate on my own and even then I don't want to use too much power down here."

He glanced up at the stone ceiling and I knew why he looked so uncertain. Hades might see Adam using his power as an insult. Zeus was his least favorite brother, and he might not like the fact that his son was messing around in his territory.

"Can you create a vortex around you?"

I felt a breeze blow through the small dark room, pulling my hair towards Adam whose clothes started to catch in the tunnel of wind he'd created around himself.

"Let's go with the fire then." I said hoping that this would be enough.

I crossed to the door on the right. None of them hand handles or key holes and I had to admire at the genius of it. How could you get through a door that didn't have a way to open it unless it's key was presented? Granted, it wasn't flawless. A child of Hecate or Hermes could get in, and I pressed my hand over the place where I knew the lock was hidden in the door.

"Get ready." I said looking at Adam.

A mental picture of tumblers and pins flashed through my mind. I exhaled, they snapped into place.

"Now." I said quickly, throwing open the heavy door and sprinting.

As it always when I sensed danger, time seemed to slow down. I saw a glow forming in slow motion from pipes on the wall made of the same type of bronze as the doors, I felt the heat and heard a low rumbling. I skidded to the end of the hall just as time resumed its normal pace and the hall erupted into flames. I turned, wincing at the heat and sudden light, but refused to look away, searching for Adam.

Several tense seconds passed before I felt a hot gust of air, and I saw what looked like a human sized tornado of fire was slowly and carefully moving towards me. Eventually, the whirlwind broke, and Adam emerged from the flames.

"Good to see you're not charcoal." I said grinning.

"Yeah." He said tersely as if he'd done nothing more interesting than walked through a hall lined with candles. "How certain were you of that plan?"

"Why do you keep asking me questions you know you don't want the answer to?"

"Good point." He muttered darkly and we moved on leaving the fiery hall burning behind us.

We entered a corridor with smooth black walls that rose twenty feet in the air. They were set against what looked to be a dull orange ceiling several stories above us. I noticed Adam glancing at the walls and he seemed to be realizing something. An expression of clarity had crossed his features, but the understanding didn't seem to bring him relief. In fact, he looked worried.

"What?" I asked uneasily. I'd never seen him look so tense.

"I had a dream about this place." he said quietly. "That night you broke into my cabin."

"It didn't seem like a good dream." I said remembering how terrified he'd been as he woke up.

"It wasn't."

"How did it end?" I asked hesitantly and he didn't respond, but I noticed he was looking at me. "What?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." he said quietly looking back up at the walls. "I'm not going to let it happen."

Part of me wanted to ask what he was talking about, but the other part wasn't sure I really wanted to know. Instead I glanced at the walls as well. The power radiating from the maze seemed to be magnified by them. It pulsed periodically, an ominous, intimidating tone so low I could feel the vibrations in my chest. I screwed up my face, trying to relieve the dull head ache the noise was starting to give me but it was no use.

"You ok?" Adam asked obviously not experiencing the same problem.

"Yeah." I said shaking my head. There was nothing we could do about it, so there was no point in complaining. "Let's just get moving."

We walked in silence for a while as triggers, spring loaded weapons, and locks presented themselves to my mind. It was almost overwhelming how just how much was in here. So much that I could barely keep up.

"So can you see the maze?" Adam asked eventually, breaking me from my thoughts. "Or the vault? Because if you could just walk us through the least dangerous path, that would be really helpful."

"No." I said shaking my head. "I can just see parts of it. Well I can't really see it. But the physical traps and anything with locks sort of pop up in my head. If there are spells or monsters here though, I'm just as ignorant as you are."

"But you can give us some sort of direction can't you? The vault is basically a giant lock right? You should at least know when we're close."

I nodded.

"Where is it?" he asked and I grinned.

"That way." I said pointing directly into the wall and he looked disappointed.

"Not much help is it?" I asked.

"No, it's not."

After another few minutes of silence, we came into what looked like an empty room with stone tiles of all shapes and sizes making up the floor. Across it was another choice of bronze doors, with a statue of who I could only assume to be Eris between them.

"Well?" he asked looking at me as we walked to the edge of the stone. "Seems a little too easy doesn't it? Think there are monsters waiting to ambush us on the other side?"

I didn't answer but paused as a torrent of information flooded through my mind, but Adam hadn't noticed. Before I could be certain of what I was seeing, he'd started walking to the other side.

"Adam don't!" I shouted but it was too late.

His foot landed on the pressure plate and again time slowed down as I heard a series of metallic 'clicks'. I grabbed the back of his shirt throwing him off the bomb just before it exploded with a concussive force and threw us off our feet.

I hit the ground hard and heard Adam groan in pain next to me. Ears ringing and feeling bruised, I sat up trying to stop the world from spinning and to ignore my now significant head ache.

"You alright?" I asked coughing and pulling my shirt over my face in an attempt not to inhale any more dust as it settled around us.

"Yeah." He said rubbing the back of his head and pushing himself into a sitting position.

We got to our feet and looked at the crater that now occupied the space of floor Adam had just stepped on. Bits of twisted metal and circuitry ran from the hole and back under the floor.

"You just saved my life." He said his eyes wide, starting at the destruction.

"Don't thank me yet." I said darkly narrowing my eyes on the tiles. "They're everywhere."

"But you know where?" he asked looking at me and I nodded.

"Follow me." I said. "And for the love of Apollo step exactly where I do."

Crossing the mine field took an extremely long time. Not only were the mines everywhere, but some of the tiles were connected. Even if there wasn't an explosive under one, it might trigger a bomb under the one next to it. Many of the safe tiles were several feet apart, requiring us to jump and land on some of the smallest spaces. This meant I had to plan out our path in advance making sure we didn't end up cornering ourselves. It didn't help that Adam didn't have much balance either.

Being the strongest in camp, Adam had never really had to rely on speed or agility to get him out of trouble. He was used to either zapping or over powering his opponents, but mines didn't care how many Cyclopses you could cut down. Several times he almost fell or slid off a tile onto a pressure plate, but finally, after what felt like the most stressful hour of my life, he made the final jump and landed on the other side of the room next to me.

"Which door?" he asked straightening up.

"Left." I said walking to it and starting on the lock.

"What's behind it?" he asked warily.

"A field of lasers."

"And what's behind the right?" he asked.

"You don't want to know." I said trying to push the images of a pack of mechanical Hell Hounds out of my mind.

The lasers weren't that difficult for me, but in addition to having no balance, Adam wasn't very flexible either. He'd only made it a quarter of the way through the field by the time I'd reached the end.

"You know you're making me feel a bit inadequate." He said as I sat, resting my elbows on my knees waiting for him to get through. It had been ten minutes since I'd finished and he hadn't made much progress, but already his clothes were signed in several places from when he hadn't been paying close enough attention. "Isn't there an easier way?"

"Yeah actually," I said frowning and looking up at the walls where the lasers were mounted.

I drew my my sword, and after a quick mental calculation, thrust the blade into the nearest beam. It bounced of the metal and onto the wall which started smoking. I angled the blade so the beam of the laser hit itself, and after a few seconds there was a sizzling sound and the smell of smoke. The laser flickered and died having melted itself.

"You waited this long to do that?" Adam asked indignantly.

"I can go sit down again." I said raising an eyebrow.

"No," he said quickly. "I'm sorry."

"That's what I thought." I said moving to the next one.

It wasn't particularly fast work and Adam, still stuck in the field, didn't have the room to help speed up the process with his own weapon, but eventually with half the lasers disabled, we made it through the hall.

The next hour or two passed like this, walking until we hit a door or trap which I'd get us through and we'd move on to the next one. Occasionally we hit a monster which Adam would deal with, then we continued.

"Where were you when I was in Detroit?" he asked sounding a little annoyed as I disabled a trip wire. It had been connected to a series of cannons and I vaguely remembered a story about Adam being trapped on in an auto parts warehouse taken over by harpies who'd booby trapped the entire thing.

"Same place as I've always been." I said jamming the gear box and closing it, wiping the grease from my fingers onto my shorts and taking the hand he offered to help me up. "Camp."

"I could have used your help." He muttered more to himself than to me.

"I thought you didn't want me on missions."

"I don't." he said with a scowl. "But even I have to admit, it would have made things a lot easier."

We walked easily through the rows of the newly deactivated cannons.

"How do you know all this stuff?" he asked with interest. "I know you and your siblings are good at finding traps, but you seem to really understand them and how they work."

"Tess is my best friend." I explained. "She's shown me a lot and while I doubt much of it stuck, her dad designed this place. I recognize the style."

Finally, we reached our first fork in the maze. There was a passage to our right, and one to our left and while tried to decide which one looked more menacing, I really couldn't see a difference that might suggest one was safer than the other.

"What do you think?" I asked looking up at him. "Should we split up and try to cover more ground?"

"I'm not stepping a foot in any direction you don't tell me is safe." He said flatly. "Besides, what's the point of splitting up? If I find the vault before you what good is it going to do? I can't unlock it and it's not like I'd be able to tell you where it is or bring you to me."

"Good point."

"Which way is closer to the direction of the vault?" he asked.

"That one." I said gesturing towards the right.

"Then we'll go that way." He said.

This was the first in an infuriatingly long series of dead ends we hit.

"Gods!" I shouted kicking a wall after what felt like the hundredth block we'd run into.

"Calm down Thea." He said with a sigh. He too looked frustrated, but he was handling better than I was.

"Easy for you to say!" I shouted angrily still glaring at the walls, convinced they were where the noise was coming from. "You don't have to hear that stupid vault throbbing in your head!"

"What?" he asked frowning.

"Honestly, I don't know how you don't hear it!" I said looking at him. "It's everywhere! Every time I think it's getting better, we make a turn and it just gets louder! Even if you don't know anything about locks it's powerful. Any demigod should be able to sense it."

"I can." He said giving me a strange look. "But it's not throbbing. Thea, can you hear the vault?"

"Yes!" I said angrily. "It's been rattling my brain since we stepped into the maze!"

"And you can hear it?" he asked.

"That's what I just-" said but his eyes went wide and he grabbed my hand and started running.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we made a series of turns going passed old obstacles and the dust of a stray gryphon we'd run into that Adam had sliced.

He didn't answer, only continued to run as we retraced our steps. Finally, he stopped and I realized that it was the last fork we'd tried.

"Can you still hear the vault?" he asked looking at me intently.

"Of course I can." I said wondering why he looked as if I'd just I'd made all his dreams come true.

"Gods what would I do without you?" He muttered taking my face between his hands and beaming down at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Which direction is it the loudest?" he asked and I felt my eyes go wide as I finally realized where his mind was at.

"Left." I said and he grabbed my hand again as we started running.

Apov

Now that we were making significant progress, things were moving a lot faster in the maze. We ran as fast as we could, only stopping so Thea could determine which direction we should go.

Finally on the right path, we were running into a significantly less amount of traps and only an occasional monster.

"We've got to be close." I said after an hour and we stopped at a three way fork. "Even I can feel it."

The constant hum that I'd felt since the metro station was finally, as Thea had described, throbbing. It pounded not too kindly against my ear drums and seemed to sink through my bones, vibrating my entire body to the core.

"How's your head?" I asked only able to imagine what she was dealing with.

"Middle." She said wincing, apparently deciding not to answer my question.

We continued running until we reached an archway made of gray stone in the wall of the maze.

"It's in there." Thea said glancing warily at the archway and the room it led to.

I knew she was right, but though our goal was so close, something about her expression worried me.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she frowned.

"I don't know." She said with uncertainty as we approached the arch. "Something about that room, it doesn't feel right."

"Is it trapped?" I asked.

"I don't sense anything." She said hesitantly, but I noticed she didn't say no.

I looked into the room but nothing appeared to be in it. All I saw was narrow stone bridge lead from the archway to a square platform in the center that looked to be about the size of four boxing rings put together. From the platform was another bridge that lead to…

I heard Thea's breath catch as she spotted it. She muttered something in Greek but I didn't catch it, I was too busy staring at the vault. It was massive, at least fifty feet high and fifty feet wide, made of pure celestial bronze with a round heavy duty door that was a tall as I was in diameter. It glowed eerily, and as if drawn towards it, Thea stepped through the archway, apparently having forgotten her reservations about the room.

I followed her cautiously, looking down off the side of the bridge to see an endless drop into darkness. I shuddered, but Thea hardly seemed to notice where she was going much less the gaping pit below us. She was still staring at the vault as if it held the answers of the universe, just waiting for her to unlock them.

I found this expression a bit unnerving. It was like to Thea the rest of the world, me included, had fallen out of existence. I tried to see it from her point of view. Even by her siblings' standards she'd always had a bit of an obsession with locks, but then again maybe that's why she was the best. I guess I couldn't really complain though, her mastery of Hermes's talents is what had kept me alive today, and this monstrosity would be the ultimate test of her abilities. It represented her father and something she'd dedicated her life to. So what if she was a little overwhelmed by it?

I followed her to the other end of the room, making sure she didn't accidentally step off the platform and finally, five feet before the steps that lead to the vault door she stopped, it's light reflecting in her eyes.

"This has got to be like mortal Christmas for you huh?" I asked looking at her.

"I've never celebrated Christmas." She muttered vaguely her eyes still on the vault. It was like she couldn't look away.

"Well." I said taking a seat on the steps. "You do your thing. I'm just going to wait."

She didn't seem to hear me.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to me, but was probably only about five minutes, she walked up the steps.

I turned and looked over my shoulder, interested on how this would work. Normally when I saw Thea fiddling with locks, opening them seemed a sort of automatic thing to her. Even the locks in the maze didn't look like they gave her any sort of trouble. If I was honest, part of me was half expecting her to touch the door and for it just fall open.

It didn't.

She closed her eyes and started whispering in Greek again, and I realized she was talking to her father. Finally, she placed her hand on the vault door and the room lit with a bright flash of white light. As my eyes adjusted back to the darkness, the glow that emanated from the bronze traveled up her arm and around her outlined her silhouette.

"Thea?" I asked a little uncertainly.

She didn't respond. In fact, I didn't even think she could hear me.

I watched her warily as a warm breeze picked up around us. It smelled like metal and snatched at her hair as the glowing around her grew stronger. Her eyes were open now, but they weren't the familiar hazel I'd gotten to know so well. They were bright gold, as if she and the vault were now somehow connected.

I didn't like this. The light around her had grown so intense that it was almost painful to look at. Shielding my eyes, I got to my feet and approached her cautiously but she didn't seem to see me. Her eyes, still gold, were out of focus, as if she were seeing more than the vault and the room around us.

"Thea?" I asked quietly but she didn't respond and I felt anxiety shoot through me.

"Thea, can you hear me?"

Apparently she couldn't.

I put my hand on her shoulder hoping to bring her back but a sound like a gong rang through the room and I was thrown off my feet, away from the vault door. I landed hard at the bottom of the stairs and scrambled to my feet looking at her as the wind picked up. It was reaching storm levels now and the vibrating of the vault angrily shook the room. I remembered what Hermes said, how a son of Zeus couldn't get into the vault and it looked like he was right. It seemed like this door was more than just a door. It was alive in a sense, I could feel it, and just as it had chosen to accept Thea, it had chosen to reject me. All I could do was watch helplessly as she was completely obscured by the light.

Suddenly, there was a metallic 'thud' that echoed across the room as inside the vault, I could hear things starting to move. The door made a horrible groaning noise as the lock slowly began to turn. Finally, after a full minute of screeching metal, the light around Thea died and her eyes returned to normal.

She removed her hand from the vault door and stared at it.

"Did you do it?" I asked hesitantly.

She shook her head, still studying the door.

"There's one final mechanism." She said quietly.

I knew better than to ask what had gone wrong. She was looking at the door, frowning slightly. She hadn't given up yet.

Several minutes passed in silence and I watched her, wondering what she was thinking. Eventually, she seemed to make a realization, but instead of smiling in excitement, she looked a little uncertain.

"It can't be that easy." She said softly.

"What can't?" I asked despite my previous decision of remaining silent.

"The final requirement for the lock." She said distractedly. Suddenly, without explanation, she drew her sword. "I mean. It can't be that easy. Because if that were true that would mean _anyone_ could get in if they had the key. Even a demigod. What if she lost it, or it got stolen? Or even someone from our cabin came along?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as she rested her blade in her palm and seemed to contemplate it. She turned it, still with that distracted expression, so that the edge of the blade was pressed against her palm.

"Is it really that simple?" she muttered to herself glancing one final time at the door, as if teetering on the edge of a decision.

"What is?" I asked irritated. Why wouldn't she explain?

"I think it is." She said looking back at her hand and gripping the sword tightly.

"Thea, what are you-"

But I cut myself off as she dragged the blade across her hand, cutting open her palm.

"What was that for?" I asked her indignantly and she seemed to notice me again.

"To unlock the vault." She said frowning at me as if this were obvious and resting her bleeding hand on the door.

The vault door flashed, and suddenly, a slot appeared where Thea's hand had been. She stuck her sword in it to the hilt, then threw her weight on it. Slowly it started to rotate.

'Thunk.'

I looked up as the vault flashed gold, and then slowly started to open.

"You know, I think Hephaestus might have known Eris was up to something." She said casually grabbing bandages out of her bag and starting to wrap them around her injury, as if the blood staining the gauze was coming from nothing more than a paper cut.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he made her a vault that literally anyone with divine blood can open. Including demigods." She said giving me a significant look. "It's like he wanted me to get in."


	33. Chapter 33

Apov

When the vault door opened I was almost blinded by the brightness of it's contents. We stepped into the metallic room and I saw Thea look around in fascination. Even I had to admit on all my missions I'd never seen anything like this. All around us propped against the bronze walls were artifacts owned by the Olympians. The power radiating from them was almost overwhelming.

"Oh my gods." She whispered spotting one of her father's wings and walking over to it, picking it up with something that looked like reverence.

I looked around the room wondering if I recognized something of my father's, but a glint caught my eye and I spotted a mirror resting on what looked like a work bench full of sketches that belonged to Hephaestus himself. It was made of gold and silver with an ornate design of roses and swans, and the reflective surface looked to be made of pure celestial bronze.

"Adam?" Thea asked glancing at me over her shoulder as I walked over to the desk. "What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. I felt a strange attraction the mirror that I couldn't quite explain. I was certain it had nothing to do with my father, but I was suddenly struck with an overwhelming desire to look in it, though I wasn't exactly sure as to why. Curious, I picked it up and glanced at the bronze hardly aware of what I was doing, but as my eyes slid over it's surface I didn't see my reflection.

The bronze flashed gold and suddenly I felt a rushing sensation. The world around me spun and dissolved into a rose gold mist. I looked around in surprise. Thea and the vault had vanished, but for some reason I didn't panic. Though I had no idea where she was or where I'd gone, a strange sense of calm was spreading through me that had originated in my heart. It washed over me, warm and welcoming and though I didn't know how I knew it, something about this place felt safe.

Beams of golden light were catching the mist, like the first rays of a sunrise and behind me, I heard a familiar laugh sounding as if it was coming from the light itself. It echoed around me and though I knew whose it was, I couldn't see her.

"Thea?" I asked quietly, turning to see figures forming in the mist.

I started walking towards them, certain she would be there. As I moved the mist started to thin until I found myself in a park on a sunny day, surrounded by laughing children that were yelling and running after each other.

Thea was here, only, she looked different. Her hair was shorter, it fell just a few inches passed her shoulders now, and something about her face had changed. She no longer had that distinctive teenage air about her that everyone had at seventeen. She wasn't in camp clothes either or the hunter's uniform. She was wearing jeans and a regular shirt and it took me several seconds to realize she was older, much older, by at least ten years.

"You worry too much." She said grinning up at the man next to her. "What are the odds we're going to run into a Hydra here?"

"Don't tempt fate." He said and with a jolt, I realized the man was me. I was older too, my hair cut closer than I would have liked it normally but would probably be considered more age appropriate for a man nearing thirty.

"Relax will you?" She said rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Nothing is going to happen."

I raised an eyebrow at her and I expected for my older self to get annoyed. I'd always hated when people said that, but as I looked at her my restraint seemed to crack and I smiled as well.

We were standing together and I was startled to see on the hand that was holding hers, I wore a wedding ring. She wore one too and upon further inspection, I realized it was the ring I'd given her before the mission. A decade later and she still had it…

Blank shock ran through me as I stared at them, or I guess us.

What was happening?

"Dad!" A young voice called and I saw a boy was running towards Thea and I excitedly.

He couldn't have been older than five with light brown hair, blue eyes, and an excited smile that was identical to Thea's. He was dragging a girl with him, pulling her by the hand, and she looked to be only two or three with long black hair in braided pig tails and familiar hazel eyes.

"Mom! Dad! I did it! Look!"

He held up the hand that wasn't holding on to his sister and showed an open padlock with no key in sight. He was beaming with pride.

"Adam?"

Just as suddenly as the world had appeared, it vanished and I found myself back in the vault.

"Adam, are you ok?"

I looked down to see Thea's hand on my shoulder and she was looking at up me in concern.

"What?" I asked as slowly I caught up with reality.

I looked down at the mirror which was still in my hand and quickly put it back on the desk.

"What happened?" I asked looking around and feeling confused.

"I don't know." She said glancing at the mirror. "You picked that up and just sort of froze."

"What is it?"

My heart was beating like crazy and I both found it hard to look at her, but impossible to look away. Like looking into a painfully bright, but incredibly beautiful light.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was Aphrodite's mirror." She said giving it a critical look apparently not noticing this. "Though I've never seen a written account of it. I've only heard about it in stories. Apparently it's supposed to give you a vision of true love and it can drive you insane if it's unrequited, but." She shrugged as if she found this implausible. "It's probably just that, stories."

I believed it.

I continued to look at Thea, thinking about what I'd seen, how happy I'd seemed and the peace just a brief time in that realty had given me. I'd never felt like that before, and for the first time I was starting to think that my mother might be right. Maybe it was possible I could have a future that didn't end in some sort of tragedy. The thought that I could feel that way again was enthralling, but if it didn't happen… Well, yes. I could see me allowing myself to become lost in the world the mirror had shown me.

Thea stepped towards the table, making as if to reach for the mirror but I caught her arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked looking up at me in surprise.

If I was honest I wasn't exactly sure, but fear was flooding through me at the thought of her looking in the mirror. What if she didn't see what I had?

I didn't say this though, instead I made up an excuse.

"You really think Artemis wants you opening that door?"

"What? It's not like I'm really going to see anything anyways." She said with a laugh, but it faded when she caught my expression. "Did you?"

"We should start figuring out how we're going to get all this out of here." I said quietly.

"Don't worry about that," she said pulling out her necklace and gesturing towards a charm on it. "While you spent your time contemplating the wall, I sent a message to Austin and he's gone to contact Olympus. Now that the vault is open and we found their stuff, the gods should be able to stop fighting long enough to come down at get it."

"If that's the case then we should get out of here." I said not eager to deal with irritated Olympians.

"Yeah I thought so too." She said and for once she didn't seem like she was joking.

"C'mon." I said reaching for her hand to pull her out of the room, but as my fingers tips brushed hers, a vivid image flashed behind my eyes and I swayed.

"Adam!" she cried in shock, ducking under my shoulder to support me and her eyes met mine.

Instantly I was transported back to that strange world of golden mist, images flashing in front of me, like seeing my life on fast forward. Christmas with my parents while Daisy and Thea sat laughing next to the tree, college, walking through the campus Thea's hand in mine, standing in the front of a church, watching Thea walk towards me in a long white dress…

"TWHACK!"

Pain erupted from the side of my face and was brought back to the present to see Thea struggling to hold my weight and I felt a stinging on my cheek.

"Sorry." She said apologetically as I connected the dots. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"It's fine." I said rubbing the point of contact and getting to my feet. "You did what you had to."

What was it with girls and smacking me?

"Are you sure you're ok Adam?" she asked giving me a concerned look. "You're acting weird."

"I'm fine." I said shaking my head.

"Are you sure?" she asked and I nodded.

"Alright." She said uncertainly. "Well let's get out of here."

We walked together towards the door, and as we did, I spotted a golden bow that clearly must have belonged to Apollo. I thought of his sister, the goddess to which Thea would be returning to at camp and fear mounted in me as we walked down the steps.

Thought's raced through my mind and fear turned into real panic as we reached the platform in the center of the room. This was it. We'd done what we came here to do. The mission was essentially over and once we got back Thea was gone. She was a few steps a head of me, her hands in her pockets completely unaware of the battle raging within me. As she made to step on the narrow bridge that would bring us back to the maze however, I knew I was out of time. I couldn't put it off any longer.

"Thea wait." I said catching her arm.

"Yeah?" she asked looking back at me curiously.

"I need to tell you something." I said my nerves mounting and my heart rate increasing as she stared expectantly at me.

"I-" I started but I couldn't get it out.

"What is it?" she asked looking a little amused.

"It's about the mirror."

"So did see something." She said and I nodded. "What did you see?"

I tried to explain but I couldn't. Gods, why was it so much easier facing monsters than dealing with this sort of thing? Ask me to fight a pack of hell hounds and I could do that no problem. Admitting to Thea how I felt about her, well, I think I'd rather just have another round with the hounds.

"Adam, are you ok?" she asked her smile fading. She looked worried. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"Yeah, it's just…" I stared at her hopelessly.

How could I tell her what I'd seen? How did you tell someone at seventeen that you'd seen the future you'd wanted with them, and that you were married? It was insane. I'd sound like some sort of crazy stalker, but I had to. If I didn't I would never get the chance.

'Get it together.' I thought. 'If you can kill legendary monsters you can talk to a girl.'

I took a deep breath.

"When I looked into the mirror I saw-"

But before I could finish, she'd turned tearing her necklace off and a sword appeared in her hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she glared up at the ceiling.

"Remember when I said I didn't like this room?" she asked quietly and I looked around to see around to see a black vapor was rising from the pit around us. It was spilling onto the platform like shadows turned to smoke.

"Yeah."

"The entire thing is a trap."

"What?" I asked feeling fear surge through me and also drawing my weapon. "Why didn't you sense it?"

"Because it's magic." She said bitterly. "I can sense physical traps. Magic I'm no use."

"So you don't know how to disable it either?" I asked.

She shook her head and I swore.

"Yeah, we're screwed." She said flatly her eyes on the smoke which was starting to swirl and take form.

"What is that?" I asked uneasily.

"Chaos." She said quietly. "Pure chaos. I read about it camp, it's Eris's essence."

"How do we get through it?" I asked as it crept towards us.

"We don't." she said flatly. "Mortals can't be exposed to it for more than a few minutes before it destroys them. It tears their DNA apart and they become a part of it."

"Then what do we do?" I asked taking a step back as a tendril of smoke swirled just inches from my shoe.

"Try not to die." She said as we backed towards the center of the platform, the smoke closing in on us from all slides. It was moving faster now, swirling as figures started to take shape within it. Monsters stepped out of the Chaos as if formed by it, and if I'd thought the ambush at the metro was bad, it was nothing compared to the number we were facing now.

If felt Thea's arm brush against mine and I looked at her. She didn't look scared, but her eyes were narrowed, obviously concerned about the situation. We were in the center of the platform now, and while the smoke had seemed to come to a halt, the monsters advanced. Dragons, gorgons, hags, and countless others all grinning cruelly and brandishing their claws and weapons.

Suddenly, smoke poured from the dark ceiling and a tall figure appeared in front of us. She was wearing a toga as black as her long hair, and her dark eyes glittered as she smiled wickedly at us. There was no doubt who this woman could be. Eris, the goddess of chaos herself.

"Well, look at this." She said with a tone of cruel amusement as she stepped towards us. Her voice was smooth and dark, like black ink and I felt a wave of cold go over me as she came closer. "So these are the little brats Hermes thought he'd send after me. The son of Zeus and one of his own."

Her gaze landed on Thea and I saw her take a step back as Eris's eyes glittered. I didn't blame her. A dark aura emanated from the goddess, as if the shadows that lined her silhouette were trying to drag me to the Chaos. She reached out as if to touch Thea but I stepped in front of her.

"Oh don't be ridiculous boy." She snapped. My entire body went cold and my vision flashed black. The next thing I knew I'd been thrown on to the ground several feet from the goddess, landing inches from the monsters and smoke. They sneered and pointed their weapons at me, but it seemed that for now, the goddess was keeping them at bay.

"It is a shame." Eris said grabbing Thea's chin roughly, forcing her to look up at the goddess. Her sharp nails were black and were pressing into Thea's skin. "I was rather a fan of your work. You've caused a lot of trouble at your little camp. I thought perhaps I'd found a demigod after my own anarchic heart."

She gave Thea a critical look.

"Artemis isn't the only one who's had an interest in you girl. On occasion I too have wondered if I should look for involvement with our children." She said curiously as I struggled to get to my feet. My body felt like it was made of lead. "Seeing how far you and your little friend have gotten however..." She smiled nastily. "Well, I think I could use you someone like you. In fact, I think I'd be willing to offer you a deal."

"What is it?"

"Swear your allegiance to me child and I'll see to it that you make it out of here unharmed." Her voice was soft and persuasive, and I could see Thea's brain working. Trying to see if there was any way she could get us out of here alive.

"You couldn't ask for a better deal," Eris continued still in that enticing tone. "Immortality, a chance at a new life where you could _really_ use your powers. Not just be kept busy with the hunters or at your pathetic little camp. Think of what you could become child with the power of chaos by your side."

"What about Adam?" Thea asked glancing at me.

"I have no use for a boy such as him." She said carelessly. "He does not have your talents. He will be left to the beasts."

"Screw you." Thea said annoyed and fury flashed across Eris's features. Her nails dug farther into Thea's cheeks leaving long scratches as she pushed her to the ground and Thea toppled towards the far edge of the smoke.

"Then die." She said coldly glaring at Thea who was pushing herself off the ground. "You should have gone with the hunters when you had the chance girl."

Her voice grew louder and the room was suddenly bitterly cold. The monsters became restless as Eris's form grew, the darkness around her more pronounced. The platform was shaking now, and I saw the stone beneath us had started to crack.

"That boy will be nothing but trouble for you!"

"If you haven't noticed." Thea spat getting to her feet and glaring at the Goddess her sword ready for a fight. "I like trouble."

"Insolent girl!" she roared and the monsters' restraint broke.

They swarmed separating Thea and I, and I swore as I was cornered by a harpie, and a storm spirit.

"Well, if you're prepared to die for him." She said her voice echoing off the walls now, so loud it hurt. "Why wait?"

Something like black lightning struck in front of Thea.

"If you refuse to serve me in your mortal form, your soul will suffice."

"Thea!" I shouted ignoring the monsters after me.

Not caring what Hades thought or the fact it should be impossible underground, I gathered the air around me and tried to shoot over the monsters separating us, but a clawed hand ripped through my jeans and sank into my ankle. I cried out in pain and slammed back to the ground, and felt the tip of the blade press against my throat.

"Leaving so soon?" a storm spirit snarled pacing around me as the Gorgon that pinned me sneered, pressing the point of her blade harder into my skin. "But we were having such fun demigod. Show us what you can do."

I didn't answer him. I didn't care what they did to me. All I could see was Thea and the ground that was cracking under her feet.

Eris was shrieking with cruel laughter.

"Goodbye daughter of Hermes."

Her figure exploded in dark smoke and there was a deep rumbling. The room continued to shake as if an earthquake had been triggered and the stone platform crumbled. Thea started to run, but not even she was fast enough.

"No." I whispered in horror as the ground started to fall away. It was just like the dream. "No!"

With strength I didn't know I had, I summoned the remainder of my power and the ceiling of the room cracked opening to the mortal world as lightning raced through the earth and struck the gorgon above me. She erupted into yellow dust, but I didn't see her vanish. I was already on my feet, slashing at monsters, sprinting as fast as I could while clearing my path.

Knowing she had seconds, Thea jumped just as a massive chunk fractured from the edge and managed to catch on to the ledge with her hand, but she wasn't safe. The rumbling continued and terror filled me when I saw the ledge continued to splinter.

Not bothering to kill them now, I pushed the monsters out of the way, knowing they were on my heels but I didn't care. Killing them was taking too much time, time Thea didn't have.

Flattening a fury, I broke free of their ranks and dove for the her. My fingers brushed hers, and our eyes locked as time seemed to slow. I urged my body to move faster, not understanding why I hadn't already grabbed her. Why everything was moving at half speed?

But then, there was a sickening 'CRACK', and time seemed to be thrown into fast forward. Thea's eyes went wide and I could see the confusion in them. Never before had she not been fast enough, she'd said it herself. She didn't fall.

But she did.

I felt her fingers slide from mine and all sound cut silence pressed against my ears and I watched her drop in a trance like state, convinced that it wasn't reality but a scene from my own personalized horror movie. I didn't believe what I was seeing was real until I heard it.

Thea's scream shattered the silence with a violence I'd never experienced. I didn't hear the thunder. I couldn't feel the wind or the rain of the storm I knew was building around me. All I could do was watch, helpless as she plummeted, her scream echoing in the place of horror that had become my mind. And then, I was screaming.

"THEA!"

But there was no answer. She'd been swallowed by the darkness, and I could hear my tortured voice echoing off the walls. I tried to jump after her, but laughing and hissing, the monsters grabbed and forced me roughly to my knees, dragging me back from the ledge. I didn't resist, I simply stared into the abyss, waiting.

'She'll come back.' I thought panicked. 'She always comes back.'

There was nothing Thea couldn't get out of.

I didn't care what the monsters around me said or did, I continued to stare. I was waiting for her to climb over the ridge, smiling like she always did, and asking them for a real challenge. Words kept repeating in my mind, like some sort of chant or desperate prayer. As if I thought the words enough, they would come true.

'She would come back. Thea always came back.'

She had to. And I would be watching when she did.

"Get up demigod. We're not done with you." One of them hissed but ignored them.

Any second now.

"I said get up!"

A heavy blow to the back of my head forced me to my hands and knees, but I continued to stare at the edge. Any moment. She was probably just stalling, letting me get worked up. It was the sort of thing she'd think was funny.

I was pulled to my knees again and I felt a blade between my shoulders.

"Don't make me tell you again Halfblood scum."

"Shut up." I said my voice shaking. Where was she?

"What is he looking at?" another voice asked but I refused to turn and see who it was.

The panic and fear I was holding off was starting to mount now, like a hurricane gathering strength along with the storm around me. The joke wasn't funny anymore. She should have been here by now.

"Thea!" I shouted angrily. "Come on this isn't funny!"

"What?" a voice behind me asked but I ignored him

"Thea!" I yelled my voice cracking in desperation. "Come on!"

"He thinks she's coming back…" another responded in complete disbelief.

Several of the monsters started to laugh and I was grabbed again, the first cruel voice was back, only now it was amused.

"Listen boy." It said nastily. "Your girlfriends gone."

"No." I said quietly. Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. If it did that would mean admitting it was over. I wouldn't accept that she was gone.

"See that darkness?" he said and I could tell he was smiling. "That is pure chaos. No one survives it."

"Shut up." I muttered.

"She's not coming back."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Thunder crashed above shaking the room.

The wind picked up again and I could feel the strength of a full force cyclone scattering the monsters, tossing the smaller ones off the edge. The creature that had been holding me was thrown off his feet.

"You want to see me stand?" I asked bitterly, lightning arcing above, bright flashes illuminating the dark room every few seconds like some sort of demonic strobe light.

Any monster that was left was being torched, one by one, from the lightning strikes that were crashing to the platform with terrible power. I grabbed the spirit that had been behind me off the floor, letting electricity flow through him.

He screamed trying to vanish, but the current held his solid form.

"You said you wanted to see what I could do." I said darkly as I let every ounce of hatred and pain flow out of me and into the shocks that trapped him in his corporeal body.

More lightning struck the ground around us, the monster was shaking now, practically vibrating from the current running through him. The platform continued to splinter as the wind picked up, each lightning strike fracturing the stone and sending chunks into the abyss.

"I'll show you exactly, what I can do!"

There was a sound like a generator blowing, and the monster vaporized in an explosion of noise and sparks.

I looked around desperately, but there were no monsters left. The cracked platform was scorched and cratered where the lightning had struck, and it darted between the shadows of the chaos, burning it off, expelling it like wind scattering dust. I searched desperately through the disappearing darkness but Thea was no where to be seen.

Gold dust fell from my hand and I dropped to my knees.

There was nothing to distract me now. No monsters to punish, no one to blame for another death that was entirely my fault. The storm calmed as the horror of the situation started to settle in. I couldn't see save her. She was gone…

The vision I'd seen in the mirror was darkening, getting farther away in my mind like the light disappearing at the end of a tunnel. I closed my eyes willing the pain to go away. I wanted to feel nothing. This feeling, cold rage and horrifying pain couldn't be real. People shouldn't be able to feel this. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. I was almost certain that when I opened my eyes, she'd be next to me, smiling as if she were up to something which she always was.

I felt a slight breeze but ignored it and put my head in my hands. If I didn't move, didn't open my eyes or do anything, I didn't have to accept it.

It grew stronger.

I didn't know how long I could stay here. Monsters were crawling all over this place, but I felt no desire to move. What did it matter? Even if they found me did I really care?

The breeze continued, it felt familiar and I heard someone swear.

Half convinced I could hear her, I opened my eyes.

Another swear, this one louder.

I stood in shock, the wind strong enough now that it was catching my shirt.

"Shit! Oh gods."

I _could_ hear her.

"Thea?"

I turned in disbelief to see something shoot over the fractured edge of the platform and careen towards me on a collision coarse.

"Adam!" Thea shouted and I stared in utter shock. "Move! I don't know how to stop!"

I didn't move. I let her crash into me, catching her and we both were thrown to the ground in a tangle of limbs. My head slammed into the ground and I felt something thud on top of me. I opened my eyes to see Thea looking down at me her eyes wide. I stared at her, hardly daring to trust my own senses.

I put an arm around her and rested my hand on the side of her face, determined to make sure she was real. Her cheek was still scratched and bleeding from where Eris had grabbed her, and the chaos had taken its toll. She looked ill, her skin was white as a sheet and dark circles were under eyes. Under my finger tips her skin was freezing and her whole body was trembling, but none of this mattered to me.

She was alive. Right now, she as the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Her eyes met mine as I ran my fingers through her hair, unable to find words significant enough for how I felt. All I could do was stare at her, afraid to look away in case she disappeared. But she was here. She was really here.

"How?" I asked softly.

Her answer was to look at her hand which was resting on my chest. I looked down to see she was wearing my fathers ring. The same ring I'd given her what felt like decades ago, in another time where I'd thought I was losing her forever.

I looked at her, unable to process the range of emotions that I'd just been through. Terror, pain, heart break, and now relief. It flooded through me with an emotion I could only describe as joy.

She was alive... Thea was alive…

She seemed about as stunned as I felt. We simply stared at each other, in simultaneous disbelief and finally she spoke.

"I think I might have annoyed Eris."

I stared at her.

"You think?" I asked in disbelief.

"Just a little."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

I sat up and pulled her into a hug and felt her arms wrap around me tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. I closed my eyes and pulled her closer, and in that moment Olympus could have fallen and I wouldn't have cared.

"Don't ever leave me again." I said softly and I heard my voice break. "Thea, promise that you-"

"I won't." she muttered.

I relaxed my grip on her without letting her go, and she looked up at me her eyes meeting mine and I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I had to tell her now, if I didn't, I never would.

"I don't want you to join the hunters." I said and her eyes widened slightly.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"I don't want you to leave."

"But you said-"

"I know." I said shaking my head. "I only said it because I didn't want to be selfish, but I want you to stay." Her expression gave nothing away, it was one of blank shock and I blundered on recklessly knowing if I didn't say it now it wouldn't be said. "I know I'm putting you in a difficult decision and you don't owe me anything. There were so many times I could have said something, I should have said something, but the thought that I might never see you again, or that you could never-"

But the next thing I knew, she'd kissed me and my brain went blank. I froze in shock, but realization set in as her arms slid around my neck and I pulled her closer my heart beating like crazy.

"I can't lose you again." I muttered when we broke apart. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against hers. "When I thought I'd lost you I lost control I-"

"Adam."

"Yes?"

"Stop talking."

"Ok."

Her lips brushed mine again and an electricity ran through me, but this was nothing like lightening. It was far more powerful and it was something I couldn't control, born entirely of her. I ran my fingers through her hair half convinced I would never let her go, but eventually we broke apart and her eyes met mine again.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." she said grinning in the way that made my heart skip.

"So does that mean you'll stay?" I asked. She hadn't actually given me an answer.

She gave me an amused look, as if she wasn't sure if she should laugh at me or roll her eyes, but eventually she did laugh.

"Yeah." she said as she pulled herself together. "I'm going to stay. But you realize you just marked yourself as a dead man don't you?"

"What do you mean? I asked in shock.

"Artemis is going to kill you." She said and I grinned.

"Yeah you're probably right." I said softly her hair behind her ear so I could see her face better. "But it was worth it."


	34. Chapter 34

Apov

If the magic of the maze hadn't broken when the vault was unlocked, I don't know how we would have made it back to the mortal world. Thea was in rough shape, hardly able to walk let alone disable traps or fight monsters. She'd initially refused my offers to help her, but by the time we'd made it to the stairs back to the metro I was supporting most of her weight.

"What was it like?" as we made our slow progress up the steps.

She was still shaking slightly, though that might have been from the cold or the amount of effort the stairs were costing her. Her arm was around my shoulders and my arm was around her waist. She stumbled and I pulled her closer to me.

She hesitated, her eyes going darker in the dim light.

"Cold." She said eventually. "And dark. I couldn't see anything and it was really loud. Like being caught in a tornado, only, the tornado was the only thing that existed and it was trying to rip you apart to make you part of it. Every second that passed, I felt like I was losing not just my body but myself. Anything that ever made me who I was was being torn away. I didn't know what was up or down, I didn't know who I was or how to get out. But then I thought of you." She said glancing down at the ring which she was still wearing. "And it started glowing." She frowned. "I put it on and suddenly, I remembered who I was and that I had to get out. I heard you shouting and I felt the wind slow and gather around me, then it pushed me towards your voice. And the next thing I knew, I was about to crash into you."

"You heard me?" I asked her in amazement. That shouldn't have been possible.

"I don't know why you're surprised." She said tersely. "Aren't you always the one trying to keep me out of trouble? Well, that's the worst trouble I've ever been in. Of course you're the one that got me out."

We didn't speak again until we were out of the metro station, where we'd attracted several stares as we clambered across the tracks and back on to the platform. Several people started to whisper as we passed. I knew we must look a mess, Thea still looked as if she were extremely ill, her injuries standing out vividly against her pale skin and with my shredded clothes I probably didn't look much better.

Finally, we made it back into the city, and I was shocked to see that it was light out.

"How long were we in there?" Thea asked quietly obviously making the same realization.

I glanced at my watch. 8:43

"Almost twenty-four hours." I said and next to me, I felt her sway.

"You need to sit down." I said quickly.

"I'm fine." She protested but I guided her to a bench.

"Stay here." I said looking around for a food truck of any kind, it had been almost a day since either of us had eaten and Thea looked as if she were about to faint.

"Can do." She muttered closing her eyes and leaning back as I spotted a gyro truck about half a block away.

"I'll be right back." I said jogging towards it.

"Jeez dude, what happened to you?" The man behind the counter said taking in my appearance. "Rough day?"

"You could say that." I muttered before ordering two gyros, two sodas and a massive bag of chips.

I walked back to Thea to see she'd all but melted into the bench.

"Eat." I said handing her the foil wrapped food and a soda.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick." She muttered.

"Believe it or not, food will probably help that." I said sitting next to her.

We didn't speak as we ate and I watched as people hurried passed on their way to work. Several people glanced at us, but no one stopped or asked if we needed help. I was glad, in this time I'd taken in the street, realizing I was familiar with it. I'd been so focused on the mission when we were here yesterday, and then making sure that Thea was alright when we got back, that I hadn't realized I knew exactly where we were.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as Thea crushed the tin foil into a wad and chucked it at a nearby trashcan.

"Like I want to get on the bus and sleep the whole ride home." She muttered closing her eyes and leaning back on the bench as she took a long drink of soda.

She looked better now that she was back in the mortal world and she'd had some food. Her eyes were more focused and the shadows under them had lightened slightly. Her skin was still pale but had regained some of it's color.

"Think we could make a stop before we head back?" I asked feeling slightly guilty for asking, but I'd had an idea when my eyes had landed on the bank as I'd looked around. I glanced down the street at another building, one which I knew quite well.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked opening her eyes.

"Just come with me." I standing and offering her my hand.

She took it and I pulled her unsteadily to her feet, but I was relieved to see that she could walk.

I lead her to the marble building and up the stairs that lead to a large revolving door.

"Where are we?" she asked as we stepped into the cool entrance hall with polished granite floors and leather chairs.

"You'll see."

I led her passed the fountain in the center of the room towards the brass elevators on the side, jamming the up button hardly aware of the glares our ragged appearance was earning us.

We took the elevators to the fourth floor where I pushed open a glass door with a bronze plaque that read 'Kall & Cunningham Associated'.

We stepped into a wide office space full of elegant wooden desks and a wall of windows that let in the morning light. In front of us was the front desk with a woman in her thirties with red hair pulled back into a professional bun, with kind brown eyes and a harassed expression as she answered calls.

I approached her.

"Adam." The secretary said dropping her phone in surprise. "W-What happened to you? Who's this?" she asked glancing at Thea.

"Hey Helen." I said ignoring her questions, pulling Thea passed the front desk, and towards the back of the office. "I'm going to go talk to my mother real quick."

"Adam, I'm not so sure that's a good idea." She said feebly after us. "She's on a call."

But again I ignored her and continued towards the far end of the office where a dark oak door was set into the wall.

I pushed it open without knocking to see my mother right where I expected her to be, sitting behind her desk leaning over an office phone while Robert's voice came from the speaker as well as several other voice in the background.

"-trying to convince them that settling isn't worth it in the long run. Even if we plead no contest, it could be damaging to their reputation, but they're afraid if we draw this out and the media gets involved…"

"Robert darling." My mother said interrupting him noticing Thea and I as the office door clicked shut. "I'm going to have to call you back."

"Is everything alright?" he asked sounding concerned.

"Yes, but something has come up." She said her eyes flashing. I could tell she was irritated we'd come to her office in our battered condition and that it wasn't helped when she noticed that I was still holding Thea's hand, but I ignored this as she continued. "I'll call you back soon, in the mean time tell them I don't care how much mud slinging the media can throw at their PR department. Settling will cost them millions more than letting us defend them in court and they know it."

"Will do."

The call disconnected and my mother pulled a file out of her briefcase without addressing us for a moment, but instead putting on her reading glasses as she studied a stapled packet of papers.

Eventually she spoke.

"You're a mess Adam." She said calmly highlighting a deposition and making a note. "May I ask why you've come to my office looking as if you've wandered out of the apocalypse?"

"Because I wanted to show you something." I said letting go of Thea and grabbing my mother's cell phone off her desk, pulling down the stock exchange information.

"You wanted to show me my phone?" she asked raising an eyebrow as I handed it to her.

"Thea." I said looking up to see she'd drifted over to my mother's office window to look out at the city. "What's the points of the Dow for the day?"

"Why?" she asked turning and looking at me in confusion.

"Just humor me."

She gave me a strange look, but listed off a series of numbers attached to business names as I knew she'd be able too, my mother scrolling along with her phone.

She didn't miss a single number.

"How does she know this?" my mother asked frowning.

"Hermes is the patron God of merchants." I said smirking.

"What's the point you're trying to make Adam?" she asked impatiently.

"My point is that Thea is good with money."

Again Thea looked at me with a confused expression, obviously wondering why I'd felt the need to drag her all the way to the office to tell my mother this but the demonstration had had the desired effect.

"How good?" my mother asked with interest.

"What's the last thing my parents invested in?" I asked and Thea studied my mother for a moment.

"A online service for textbooks."

"And how much is their stock worth?"

She looked at my mother again before she asked.

"In total or each stock individually?"

"Total." My mother said her eyes narrowing as she contemplated Thea.

"Two point three million." Thea said with out hesitation. My mother's eyes went wide but Thea didn't seem very interested in her reaction. She looked back out the window, staring at the cars passing on the street, apparently distracted but my mother looked at her, and I could tell she'd been impressed against her will.

"You asked if there were benefits to associating with a child of Hermes," I reminded her. "How many people do you know that can do that?"

She considered Thea for a long time and I could tell she was doing what she did best. Determining just how valuable of an 'asset' someone could be.

"Thea." She said eventually, taking off her glasses and giving Thea a shrewd look. "What are your plans for when you leave camp?"

"I hadn't thought about it." Thea said not taking her eyes off the road.

She didn't ask why my mother had asked this. I had the feeling Thea knew exactly how much her apparent disinterest would annoy her. My mother seemed to have understood this too because her eyes narrowed, but when she continued her tone was controlled.

"Adam attends a school in the city that happens to be one of the most prestigious institutions in the country." She continued. "It has, what has been considered, the finest program in the western hemisphere for those who wish to study financial analysis in their pursuit of higher education."

This caught Thea's attention. She turned and looked at my mother frowning uncertainly, as if she wasn't sure she trusted what she was hearing.

"What? Like college?" she asked.

"Yes." She said donning her glasses and returning to her notes, apparently also determined to show indifference now that she had Thea's attention. "It's a program in which I think you would do well."

Thea stared at my mother obviously wondering if she was joking, but my mother simply continued to sort through her papers as she spoke.

"Of course there's a mountain of material you'd need to study if you expected to succeed in their core curriculum seeing as you've missed so many years of your education at camp. Even if I pulled some strings you'd have to pass an entrance exam to even be considered by the school. But that shouldn't be too difficult for an intelligent young demigod such as yourself." she said looking up at Thea with interest. "Should it?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Thea asked warily.

"Because my son has made it clear he wants your involvement in his life, whether I like it or not." She said her eyes flashing critically. "And I can either fight that, or make sure it's a solid investment."

She opened her laptop and started typing.

"I'll contact Adam at camp in a few days with all the information you'll need."

Thea stared at her in silent disbelief for several seconds.

"We're done here." My mother said in a dismissive tone not looking from her screen and gesturing towards the door.

Thea gave me a look as if to say, 'Is she serious?'

"Come on." I said taking her hand and we started walking towards the exit.

I'd just turned the handle and started to push open the door when my mother said.

"Adam?"

"Yeah?" I asked turning to look at her.

"Do make sure your girlfriend applies herself." She said glancing at me from her laptop. "Unlike the last girl, she appears to have potential. It would be shame if that were wasted."

She went back to typing and I pulled Thea out of the office.

"Is your mom always like that?" Thea asked looking over her shoulder back at the door as we walked back to the front desk.

"Yeah." I said recognizing several of her coworkers, a few of whom waved while others glanced curiously at Thea.

"I'm guessing you don't have a lot of friends over." She said looking up at me. "I bet you could bring someone home who could turn tin foil to gold and she'd still wouldn't think they were good enough for her son."

"Actually I think she sort of likes you." I said thoughtfully.

"How do you work that out?" she asked as we passed the front desk and made it to the hall with the elevators.

"All she ever expected from Crystal was just sit and look pretty while my mother used her for her father's influence. She never actually talked to her. With you it seems like she has a bit of faith that you could be more than that."

"That's too bad." She said gravely.

"Why?" I asked in surprise and she grinned.

"I always thought I'd be a great trophy wife."

I laughed and put my arm around her shoulders as the elevator opened and we stepped inside.

"You know I'd have to disagree with you." I said amused as I pressed the button for the first floor. "I don't think you could be a trophy wife."

"What makes you say that?" she asked raising an eyebrow

"You'd get bored."

"Yeah you're probably right."

We continued to talk about the pros and cons of demigod trophy spouses as we caught the metro back to Union Station where we got tickets back to New York

Her prediction about sleeping all the way back to camp came true almost the instant we sat took our seats on the bus. I loaned her my iPod, and before we'd even left the station, I felt her head fall on my shoulder.

I smiled slightly looking down at her. I knew I should have been exhausted. I hadn't slept in over a day, I'd had very little food, and I'd gone through a mission that was not only physically but emotionally draining as well, but for some reason I wasn't tired.

Thea's hand remained in mine as she slept and I couldn't help but think that despite the fact only two days had passed, this bus ride was very different from the last. The ride to DC felt like I was hurtling towards the end, but as Thea and I traveled back to camp, I saw a world of endless possibilities. For the first time since seeing it, I truly believed that the vision I'd had in Aphrodite's mirror could actually be achieved.

Several uneventful hours and a really expensive taxi ride later, Thea and I made it up Halfblood Hill and across the camp boundary just as it seemed they were switching afternoon activities.

"They're back!" a voice shouted and suddenly there was stampede of campers thundering towards us.

"Adam! What happened?"

"Did you get into the vault?"

"Thea, are you alright?"

But neither of us had time to answer before a tiny figure forced itself through the crowd, the girl almost flattening the people in her way.

"THEA!" Tess screeched tackling her best friend into what looked like bone crushing hug. "Oh my gods you're ok!"

"Hey Tess." Thea said sounding tired but returning the hug.

"What happened to you?" Tess asked her eyes going wide as she spotted the scratches on Thea's face and really took in her appearance. "You both look as if you've fought an army."

"It's a long story." I said and Thea nodded as people continued with their attempts to interrogate us.

"Look guys," I said starting to get annoyed. "We've got to report to Chiron, you'll get details later."

We detached ourselves from the crowd and made our way to the Big House where Chiron was waiting for us in his office.

It took less time than I thought to explain the details of the mission, it helped having someone to keep the facts straight for once. When we got to the part about Thea falling into the Chaos, he insisted a member of the Apollo cabin come in from the infirmary and examine her as we finished the final details of the mission.

"It's a miracle you survived Thea!" He said throwing her a furious look as one of Kyle's little sisters shined a light in her eyes and tested her reflexes. "You know what pure Chaos does to a mortal body! What in Olympus were you thinking when you provoked the Eris?"

"You know me Chiron." She said through a yawn. "I have issues with authority."

He glared at her but I thought I saw his lip twitch, as if he almost smiled.

"Everything seems to be fine." Erika said repacking her medical kit and pulling her blonde hair out of it's ponytail.

"Are you sure?" Chiron asked frowning.

"Yeah." She said nodding and I felt a knot release in my chest that I hadn't realized was there. "With some rest you should be fine." She said looking at Thea.

"You should probably stay in the infirmary for the next couple of days." Chiron said looking at her. "While you recover."

"That's not happening." Thea said shaking her head and standing.

"But," Chiron started indignantly. "You need to be monitored. Who knows what the Chaos might have done to you, if it has long term effects."

"No." she said so stubbornly we all stared at her in surprise. "I'm going back to my cabin and making an offering to my father. Who knows, maybe he'll turn up and and we'll talk about how awesome he is, or I am for that matter." She said thoughtfully. "I broke through a vault designed by Hephaestus himself. No one can top that, I am officially queen of cabin eleven. I wonder if I'll get a plaque… Thea Reign, master thief. Official bad ass. The coolest in the cabin for all time."

She continued award herself titles as she wandered out of Chiron's office on her own, apparently forgetting we were in the middle of a mission debriefing.

I glanced at Chiron and he seemed to know what was on my mind.

"Go on." He said in exasperation.

I grinned and jogged out after Thea.

"So Miss bad ass." I said lacing my fingers with hers as we stepped off the porch of the Big House. "If you're officially the queen of cabin eleven do you think you'll still have time for commoners like me?"

"It's possible." She said amused.

"Time enough to take a walk on the beach with me before you go to your cabin?" I asked ignoring the amount of stares the blatant display of affection was attracting.

"I think that might have to wait." She said.

"Why?" I asked feeling slightly disappointed but her response was to nod in the direction of the cabins where a group of girls making their way towards us.

"Oh." I said feeling my stomach shrink and my smile fade. The hunters had obviously heard Thea had returned to camp, and they were expecting her to leave with them.

A tense silence fell between the campers in the immediate area as the girls stopped in front of us, a wide range of emotions across their faces. Some looked disappointed, other angry or mistrustful, and then there was Madeline whose smile was as bright as the sun on a clear summer day.

I glanced at Thalia who's expression had been hard to read, but when she spotted me staring at her, she rolled her eyes.

Artemis stepped forward.

"Congratulations are in order." She said neutrally, her eyes darting towards Thea's hand in mine and they flashed. "Your mission was not one for the faint of heart or weak in will. I am told your triumph was due heavily towards your remarkable skill. And I guess you must be commended too boy." She said looking at me as an after thought. "To be honest, I thought you were going to die."

"Thanks." I said sarcastically while Thea bit back a laugh.

"Yes, your performance was," it looked as if it pained her to say this. "Adequate. Even if you are a man."

"He saved my life." Thea said simply.

"Yes," she said fixing me with such a gaze that I felt my whole body shiver. "And it is for that reason alone he's still alive. I don't take kindly to men who try to steal a member of my hunt."

She turned to look at Thea.

"I take it you've made your decision?" she asked calmly.

"Yes my lady." She said respectfully and I tightened grip on Thea's hand ready for a fight.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Yelling, curses, weapons to be drawn? Or maybe just Artemis to vaporize me off the face of the planet, but she didn't.

Instead she looked at me critically, her distrust evident, but eventually she said.

"Take care of our sister in arms. Perhaps we will meet again son of Zeus." She glanced at her party. "Ladies."

She started making her way to the camp border and Thalia gave me a shrewd look.

"You're an idiot." She said stepping out of the party of hunters who'd started saying their goodbyes to Thea.

"Yeah I know." I said grinning slightly which seemed to irritate her.

"You're lucky you're not dead." She said frowning after Artemis. "Or turned into a squirrel or something. She is not happy with you."

"I can live with that."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Thea who felt her gaze and turned towards us.

"Keep him in line." She said gruffly. "My brother needs someone who isn't afraid to smack some sense into him every once in a while."

Thea looked a little surprised at this but before she could respond, Thalia had already turned and addressed the hunters.

"You heard her ladyship! Let's get moving!"

"I'm gonna miss you Thea!" Madeline said tackling her into a hug and smiling at me. "But if this is what makes you happy then I can't be too disappointed."

"I'll miss you too." Thea said as Madeline let her go.

"There is something you should know though, before I leave." Madeline said.

"What is it?"

She hesitated, glancing at me a little uncertainly before leaning close to Thea and whispering something I couldn't hear.

"How do you know about that?" She asked quietly.

"In my life before the hunters, I too was one of her daughters." Madeline said as if this explained everything.

"Madeline!" Thalia shouted and she jumped when she realized that her sisters had already reached the camp boundary.

"I've got to go." She said giving Thea one final hug.

We watched as she ran gracefully towards the huntresses and as soon as she joined them, they too started running.

"What did she tell you?" I asked looking down at Thea.

"I don't exactly know." She said frowning. "It didn't make much sense. She said the reason Crystal hated me so much was because she knew what you would see in Aphrodite's mirror."

"That does make a lot of sense actually."

"What do you mean?" she asked looking up at me. "What did you see?"

I hesitated, uncertain how Thea would handle the truth, but I looked down at her hand in mine and saw that she was still wearing the ring. I thought of what I'd seen in my vision and I found I wasn't afraid to admit it.

"I saw you."


	35. Chapter 35

Well, this is the final chapter. I can't believe it's over, I'm a little sad about it. I think this might be my favorite story so far. Anyways, I hope you like it. Thank you for all the favorites/follows/reviews. They mean so much! I'm really glad people seem to enjoy the story so far.

~secrethalfblood

...

Tpov

The last few weeks of the summer were the best of my life. It didn't matter to me that Adam insisted I actually take my role as a mentor in camp seriously, or that all of my free time was devoted to tutoring from the Athena kids or test prep. I actually enjoyed having a goal to attain, and school with Adam was powerful motivation.

Crystal had been removed as head of her cabin by her siblings and was replaced with a much more tolerable brother Henry, who spent most of his time trying to repair the damage she'd done to their cabin's reputation. She left camp not long after Adam and I returned from our mission, and despite all the influence she'd had while she was here, no one really seemed sorry that she was gone.

Faster than I could have imagined, the end of summer had come and I was unpacking my trunk completely for the first time in years.

"Is this all you have?" Austin asked walking into my room and glancing at the duffle bag full of clothes, and my back pack which was stuffed to the breaking point with the rest of my belongings. "How can you steal so much, and have so little stuff?"

"I haven't stolen anything in weeks." I said shrugging. I'd been so focused on getting caught up in school I didn't have time to pull pranks or get into trouble.

"True, you've been busy." He said with a smile which almost instantly turned in to a smirk. "I can't believe it. My criminal little sister off to some preppy private school."

"Yeah." I said still a little surprised by it myself. "I don't think any of us saw that coming."

"Are you going to have to wear a uniform?"

"Shut up." I said throwing a pillow at him which he easily caught.

"I'm just messing with you." He grinned and pulling me into a hug. "You know I'm proud of you." He said ruffling my hair. "Who would have thought after all those years you were obsessed with him, Adam would finally come around huh?"

"I was not obsessed." I said my cheeks burning as I pulled away from him.

"Sure you weren't." he said with a smirk. "And dragons don't bite when you grab their tails."

I scowled and he put his hands in his pockets giving me a fond smile.

"You know you look like Jess when she's annoyed Kevin when you do that." He said thoughtfully. "But I've got to go, the Councilors who stay during the year are having a meeting soon."

"Alright." I said.

"I'll see you around Thea." He said. "Don't forget to keep in touch."

He tapped the charm on his necklace.

"I won't if you don't."

"Alright." He said grinning and walking out into the hall.

I glanced at the things on my bed, thinking that Austin was right. This really wasn't a lot of stuff. I didn't even have winter clothes because there was no winter in camp. I'd have to get some, even if it was farther south I had a feeling DC might not be as forgiving.

I'd decided to check under my bunk to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything when there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" I asked crawling out from under the bunk and looking up to see Dennis leaning into the room.

"Hey." He said as I got to my feet. "I heard you were leaving soon, and I just came to say goodbye."

He'd grown several inches since he'd come to camp, he looked older and much more confidant than that terrified little boy I'd met what felt like years ago. I realized with a slight shock that in a couple of years, once he'd grown into his body a bit more, he'd be extremely good looking. Hopefully Hannah would still be around to keep the Aphrodite girls away.

"When do you head out?" I asked.

"Not til tomorrow evening." He said then frowned. "It's weird to think about it."

"What is?" I asked.

"Leaving."

"You're not excited to go home?" I asked in surprise. It had seemed his primary motivation just a few weeks ago.

"No, of course I am." He said quickly. "Hannah and I don't live that far from each other and we got our parents to send us to the same school. But, it just feels like I've been here forever you know? Living with our siblings and doing camp things. You get used to it, but I bet it's even weirder for you. You've been here forever."

"Yep." I said looking around the room I'd lived in for so many years now.

"But maybe that just makes you more excited to move on?" he asked knowingly.

"You're in middle school." I said glaring at him. "Stop having deep thoughts."

He grinned.

"Well, anyways. I just wanted to say thanks again for everything you've done for me this summer. I know big sisters are supposed to be lame, but you're actually pretty cool."

"Thank you." I said feeling oddly touched. "But that reminds me." I continued walking to my trunk and opening it to see the one bag I would not be taking with me, but I knew I couldn't allow to be left behind. "I have something for you."

I pulled out the bag and tossed it to him, and while he caught it, he was forced to take a step back due to the weight of it.

"What's in here?" He asked over a series of metallic 'clanks' that came from the bag as he opened it.

"That my dear brother is every lock I own. And this," I said reaching into my back pocket and pulling out a black leather case. "Is the set of lock picks Austin gave me when he became head of the cabin and had to become more 'responsible'" I said with air quotes. "But seeing as I'm supposed to be on the straight and narrow now, I figured I'd carry on the tradition and pass it on to you." I smiled as he accepted the case. "To quote our older brother. 'Use it when ever you feel things are getting a little too quiet around here.'"

"Austin said that?" he asked in disbelief.

"You know no one will believe it." I said amused. "But Austin was a terrible influence on me."

"Sounds like he was like how you are to me." He said laughing.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently.

"You know, if you kept them you could do it yourself." He said.

"Nah," I said shaking my head. "My reign of terror over this camp has ended, uh, no pun intended. It's time for me to move on but I can't leave Chiron without any fun." I smiled at him. "You must continue my work, who knows. There might be a time in the future when the Gods need another thief, and when they do, you'll be there. Or, whoever you decide to give those to will be."

"And what do you think my first misdeed should be?" he asked grinning.

"I can't be suggesting things like that anymore. It would be setting a bad example." I said and he looked disappointed before I continued with. "However, if I were to suggest something. Which I'm not. I would point out that nailing the Dionysus cabin's furniture to their ceiling is funny almost one hundred percent of the time, and that there happens to be a certain set of twins in our cabin that would be more than happy to help you. Not that I can condone any such behavior."

"Now you really do sound like Austin." He said rolling his eyes. "Ok I'm going to go before you start telling me to make my bed."

He gave me a hug then quickly retreated into the hall with his new gear and after a final look around my room, I grabbed my things and followed Dennis.

I stepped out of the cabin, wondering where Adam was, when I heard a voice yell.

"Thea! Wait up!"

I turned to see Tess, who was also carrying a duffle bag, running towards me.

"Why are you packed?" I asked in surprise. "I thought you weren't leaving until next week?"

"That's when my mom's picking me up." She said brightly. "But Blake and his friends are going to the beach for a week before school starts and he invited me."

"I'm guessing your mom doesn't know about this little vacation? I asked and she grinned guiltily.

"No." she confessed. "But what she doesn't know won't ground me right?"

"I'll admit your logic is sound." I said and she laughed.

"So how long until you leave?" I asked,

"Soon." I said. "I was actually looking for Adam. We're supposed to be at the airport in an hour."

"You excited?" She asked slyly.

"Yeah, I've never been on a plane before."

"Not about the stupid plane." she said rolling her eyes. "I meant about going to school with your boyfriend."

"Oh." I said. It was still so weird to hear people say that to me referring to Adam. "Yeah, of course I am."

"How long do you think you'll be able to keep yourself out of trouble?" she asked grinning but before I could answer I heard my name yelled again.

"Hey! Thea!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Kyle walking towards me.

"What's up?"

"Chiron wanted to see you." He responded.

"Why?"

"Dunno." He said shrugging. "But he didn't sound happy. He's in his office."

Wondering what on earth I could have possible done, I said a hurried goodbye to Tess, and I made my way to the Big House.

"Now isn't this a familiar sight?" Chiron asked as I stepped into the room. "Thea Reign in my office."

"Whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it." I said automatically.

"Seems a strange thing to start off with if you really didn't do anything." He said. "Especially as I wasn't going to accuse you of anything."

"Oh." I said surprised. "Kyle made it seem like you were going to yell at me."

"No." he said shaking his head. "Adam's mother informed me a few weeks ago that your new school wished to be provided transcripts from you're previous one. As well as a recommendation from one of your instructors." He reached onto his overly cluttered desk and handed me several sheets of fake report cards and a personalized note it seemed he'd taken the time to write himself. "The papers are heavily enchanted with the Mist so the administrators won't find any issues with them and as for the recommendation." His eyes glittered mischievously. "Well, I figured honesty was the best policy."

I glanced at it nervously.

"Read it." he said encouragingly.

 **Thea Reign is without question, the most frustrating student I have ever had to educate. She's willful, idiosyncratic, and has an indifference towards authority that could almost be considered pathological.**

"Thanks." I said sarcastically and he smiled.

"Keep reading."

 **But she is also one of my favorites.**

"What?" I asked quietly

 **Thea's faults describe not the failings of a student but rather her teachers, because Thea's problem stems from the fact that she is brilliant. The truth is that no matter what classes she is assigned, it is likely that she will be the smartest person in that room, including her instructors. I knew from the moment I met her that this was a child who needed to be engaged, who required constant challenges to overcome as all exceptional minds do. I will admit that I failed her miserably, but it would be amiss if my shortcomings as a mentor should keep her from an environment in which she will thrive. In my many years of educating, I have met a hand full of students who has made such an impression on me, and I have never met her equal. I can only hope that you are up for the challenge.**

I looked up from the letter at Chiron, a little unsure of what I had just read.

"I thought you hated me." I said looking at him in confusion.

"I meant every word." He said. "You are one of the most infuriating demigod's I've ever had to deal with in my immortal life. But you are one of my favorites."

"Why?" I asked in blank shock.

At this he laughed.

"Because you're the only one who consistently outsmarts me. Some may do it once, an ever fewer amount will on occasion but you…" he gave me an expression of distinct pride. "Well, every once and a while you meet a demigod that reminds you why you agreed to do this for eternity."

He glanced at the wall of heroes at which I'd stared so many times while being yelled at or while stealing from Chiron himself. There was a new one in the center, it was extremely recent. In it was Adam and I before the latest game of capture the flag. His arm was around my shoulders and I was laughing as he kissed the top of my head.

"It just so happens this time around, I met two."

I looked at him to see he was smiling at me.

"I do hope you come back to camp over your break. It would be nice to see you again."

"Yeah, you too." I said grinning.

There was a knock at the door and it opened as Adam stepped into the room.

"Kyle said I'd find you here." He said spotting me. "Thea we've got to go."

"Alright." I said started making my way towards the door, then making a split second decision, I dropped my things and tackled Chiron into a hug. It startled him at first, but he then laughed and returned the embrace.

"Don't think you'll be getting bored with out me here." I said as we separated.

"No doubt Dennis your protégé will keep me entertained." He said sagely.

"That's right." I said grinning and grabbing my things. "I'll see you on break."

"See you Chiron," Adam said waving at the centaur.

"Stay safe." He said and together Adam and I walked out of the Big House towards the boundary of the camp.

...

I looked in the mirror at the dark skirt and blazer along with the stripped blue and red tie that if I was honest, felt like an invitation for a monster to strangle me. It matched the head band in my hair and I continued to stare at myself, uncertain I recognized the girl staring back at me. This was the first time in years I'd seen myself in anything other than a camp shirt and shorts. It was bizarre.

My roommate had already left our dorm room to meet her friends before class started.

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. I'd have to leave soon, but I continued to stare at my reflection hoping that if I kept looking at it it would seem less weird.

I heard a knock on the door.

"Are you ready yet?"

"Coming." I said grabbing my book bag and stepping out into the hall to find Adam, who looked much more comfortable in his uniform than I felt. His jacket was the exact same shade of deep blue as his eyes and he looked even more handsome than usual.

"What?" I asked asked feeling self conscious as he stared at me.

"Nothing it's just. I think this is the first time I've seen you in a skirt." He smirked. "It's cute."

"I am a very skilled, highly trained demigod." I reminded him with a scowl. "I could kill you if I wanted."

"And you'd still look cute."

I made and irritated noise while chuckled and laced his fingers with mine

"And so we embark on Thea's greatest challenge yet." He said with an exaggerated excitement as we stepped out of the of the dormitory and into the sea of students that were moving between each other, laughing with their friends, on their way to class. "High school."

"This will certainly be the most expensive school I've been kicked out of." I said looking around as we entered the main part of the school. Every room had a TV and computers as well as a smart board.

"You're not getting kicked out Thea." He said rolling his eyes as we joined the rest of the students.

I noticed that several people were staring at us, whispering.

"Why are so many people looking at us?" I asked.

"I can answer that." Said a familiar voice and Daisy fell out of the crowd. She wedged herself between Adam and I and put her arms around our shoulders. Like Adam, she looked perfectly at home in her uniform. "They're wondering how my idiot brother, the quiet loner ended up dating the pretty new girl." She said giving me a significant look. "There's a lot of weird rumors going around about you by the way Thea. Though I really doubt you've been expelled from four schools or stole a school bus."

"It's six actually." I said and she raised an eyebrow.

"You're not telling me you did steal a bus too then?"

"Don't you have a class to get to?" Adam asked irritated and she grinned at him.

"Love you too bro. But you're right. I'll see you two at lunch."

"Think that's really what they're talking about?" I asked as Daisy jogged to catch up with a couple of girlfriends.

"It's possible." He said with a shrug then smiled at me. "The new girl is pretty."

He walked to my first class, 'History of Finance' where he kissed me goodbye before heading to his, 'Applied criminal law.' I was the first one here and picked a spot on the far side of the room next to the windows where I could see the school court yard.

Slowly, the class began to fill, and on the other side of the room I could hear a group of girls talking.

"That's her, that's the new girl."

"I heard she's dating Adam."

"Who?"

"They guy in the law program. Daisy's brother."

"The quiet guy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know anything else about her?"

"No, no one knows who she is."

"Three things you should know about me before this semester starts." I said leaning on the back two legs of my chair and almost laughing at their panicked faces as they realized I knew they'd been talking about me. "One. I have excellent hearing. Two. Yes, I am currently dating Adam Kall. And Three. I fear nothing on this earth, save for getting caught between a hungry Daisy Cunningham and a taco truck." I said wincing slightly as I remembered Adam and Daisy's disastrous attempt at showing me around DC after we'd unwisely decided to skip breakfast. I still wasn't convinced that girl didn't have Ares blood.

"Oh." I added with a grin. "And my name is Thea."

...

Well like I said, that's the end of the story. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks to everyone who read and again thanks for all the support! Seeing the reviews and favorites and follows really made my day. I don't really have a post story info for these two like my last demigod story but feel free to imagine them ending up whatever way you like. I'm actually kind of interested on where people think Adam and Thea ended up (or any of the other characters for that matter) so if you feel like it post what you think will happen to them or message me.

I did have an idea where they stumbled across the amazons at one point, but that was more just something that made me laugh than anything. It didn't really go with this story's plot at all. But if anyone's interested just let me know. Maybe I can add a couple chapters with various scenes from their future, but as of now the story is pretty much done.

Anyways, I don't know if I'll do another halfblood story anytime soon because I'm working on other stories at this point and I've kind of exhausted my ideas on this particular fandom. Again, thanks for reading! Hope you liked it and hope everyone has a good week!

~secrethalfblood


	36. Chapter 36

Alright so after a few requests I've been convinced to try and write a second part to the story with Adam and Thea. I won't be updating to this story because this plot line is finished and it just wouldn't feel right to me, but I most likely will continue with these characters in another story under a different title. I thought I'd run out of ideas, but after taking a few days and not writing so much, and focusing on other stories my brain seems to be firing on all cylinders again.

I'm not sure when I'd be able to post the first chapter of the new story. I'm in the middle of finals now and that's got to take priority, but I'm hoping if I get enough time the first chapter might be up within the next couple of days, hopefully no longer than week or so. I really don't know how quickly I'll be able to write, edit, and post while I'm studying. For those of you who would be interested in reading, I'm sorry I can't be more definitive about the timing. I'll try and upload as soon as possible though.

As always, thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows! It really means a lot! Hopefully if I can get this written, I can do it well enough to do the first story justice and people will enjoy it. I'll update with another chapter with the name of the new story if I think it's good enough to post. I am hopeful though. I've got a few promising ideas. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

~secrethalfblood


	37. Chapter 37

First chapter to the continuation is up. Title is 'I Will Never Let You Down'. Thanks for all the support! Hope you like the new story!

~ secrethalfblood


	38. Chapter 38

So I've been sick for a while and got bored. I decided to write out how Adam and Thea met. If anyone's interested it's a stand alone story, same name with oneshot at the end.

Have a good week!

~secrethalfblood


End file.
